Idlewild Academy
Nature-Based Microschool in Heber City, Utah
2027–2028 • Monday–Friday, 9:00–3:30 • Grades 4–5 & 6–8 • Spots Limited
Our Philosophy
We believe children flourish when they are respected as real people, guided by wise adults, challenged to think clearly, and supported in becoming responsible for their own attention, emotions, relationships, and learning.
Rooted in
Nature
Stewardship, ecology, daily connection to the land and water; cognitively capable while grounded in the environment.
Guided by
Inquiry
Thoughtful questions, Socratic dialogue, and creative prompts to guide student interest in philosophy & core subjects.
Shaped by
Responsibility
Freedom through responsibility, emotional regulation, skillful communication, mindfulness, civics, and community repair.
What Makes Idlewild Different?
Idlewild takes a holistic approach to education. In a world that increasingly separates our minds from our bodies, communities, and natural environment, we help students remain connected and grounded while developing the intellectual capacities required by a complex, digital, and information-rich world.
Our program brings together rigorous academics, outdoor learning, creative inquiry, practical life skills, meaningful responsibility, and strong relationships.
- Nature & Stewardship
- Learning to Learn | Epistemology
- Personal, Mastery-Based Approach
- Creative & Analytical Writing
- Socratic & Philosophical Dialogue
- AI & Tech Fluency
- Emotional Intelligence
- Mindfulness without Dogma
- Civics & Responsibility
- Self-Directed Passion Projects
- Entrepreneurship & Life-Skills
Who is Idlewild For?
Who is Idlewild For?
Idlewild is designed for independent learners who may not thrive in a conventional school environment. This may include students who need greater intellectual challenge, more freedom to pursue meaningful interests, a closer relationship with nature, or a more personal approach to learning.
Idlewild is a collaborative community whose members respect and support one another, take responsibility for their choices, and help shape the expectations that guide community life.
We do not expect students to arrive with everything figured out. We do expect them to demonstrate a willingness to grow and to help create physical, emotional, and social safety for themselves and others.
Idlewild is not currently designed to provide specialized therapeutic services or individualized support for diagnosed learning differences. Admission will be based on mutual fit, the student’s needs, and the program’s ability to support those needs responsibly.
The Property
Idlewild Academy, a brand new facility, sits on a 20-acre mountain property near the Timberlake community at the foot of the Uintas. It is approximately 15 minutes away from Heber City proper.
There is a stream, a large pond, and several water features on the property. Many animals visit the property, including deer, moose, rock chucks, eagles, hawks, snakes, lizards, and other creatures.
Because the property includes a pond, stream, natural terrain, wildlife, and changing mountain weather, safety is also part of the curriculum. Students will learn attention, preparation, judgment, responsibility, and respect for place.
Idlewild gives young people meaningful freedom in close relationship with nature, but that freedom exists within clear and carefully taught boundaries.
Admissions & Tuition
Upper Elementary | Grades 4–5 | $1,200 per month
A strong academic foundation paired with curiosity, creativity, responsibility, and meaningful time outdoors.
Middle School | Grades 6–8 | $1,500 per month
Rigorous academics, deeper inquiry, growing independence, practical skills, and opportunities for leadership and student-directed work.
Meet the Founder
Meet the Founder
John Driggs brings to Idlewild seven years of experience homeschooling his four children, a law degree, and a lifelong passion for learning and teaching. His legal education strengthened his abilities in careful reasoning, writing, dialogue, and responsible institution-building, while his study of Eastern and Western philosophy has shaped Idlewild’s commitment to inquiry, self-knowledge, intellectual freedom, and a life lived with intention.
John’s desire to care for young people began early. Growing up, his family served as a shelter home for several years, giving him an enduring appreciation for the importance of safety, stability, patience, and being genuinely seen. Later, when his oldest child’s experience on the autism spectrum revealed how poorly a conventional school could fit a capable but unconventional learner, John stepped away from the practice of law and began homeschooling.
Idlewild grows out of those experiences. John believes every child deserves to be met where they are, to be known well, challenged thoughtfully, and treated as a person whose ideas and development matter. His aim is to build a school that combines intellectual rigor, emotional intelligence, meaningful freedom, close relationships, and real responsibility.
Declaration of Freedom
Idlewild is a politically nonpartisan and religiously nonsectarian community that teaches students how to think—not what to think—through honest inquiry, intellectual freedom, and respectful engagement with differing perspectives.
Institutional neutrality does not mean indifference to truth, character, or conduct. Students will learn to distinguish evidence from assertion, argument from rhetoric, knowledge from confidence, and honest disagreement from manipulation or contempt.