FAQ
What is Idlewild?
Idlewild Academy is an educational institution designed to prepare children for many of life's dimensions - academic, financial, emotional, relational, civic.
It 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.
How is the Program & Staff Modeled?
Idlewild is an independent, nature-based microschool offering two distinct full-time programs:
- Upper Elementary for Grades 4–5
- Middle School for Grades 6–8
Enrollment will be limited to approximately 15 students in each program. Each program will have its own lead teacher, whose primary responsibility is to know, guide, and support the students in that group.
At the same time, Idlewild is designed as one learning community rather than two isolated classrooms. Our lead teachers will plan collaboratively, support one another, and bring students together for selected discussions, projects, outdoor learning, stewardship, and community activities.
Founder John Driggs will serve as Idlewild’s school administrator while also contributing regular instruction in philosophy, writing, and civics. Idlewild also plans to employ a part-time program assistant who can support both programs during small-group instruction, outdoor activities, transitions, and other parts of the school day.
Carefully selected visiting instructors and screened volunteers may contribute specialized knowledge, workshops, mentorship, and project support. These contributors will enrich the program but will not replace Idlewild’s core teachers or regular supervision.
Who is it for?
Idlewild is designed for independent and unconventional 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.
What will students do each day?
Each day at Idlewild will combine outdoor learning, core academics, inquiry, creative work, and practical skill development.
Nature is one of our most important teachers. Students will spend several periods each day outdoors engaged in a combination of academic lessons, ecological observation, physical movement, stewardship, reflection, exploration, and creative work. Restoring a meaningful connection to the natural world supports curiosity, health, attention, and development.
Students will also receive focused instruction in core subjects, including mathematics, language arts, writing, science, history, and civics. Lessons will often begin with carefully designed questions, stories, problems, or creative prompts. Students will then investigate, discuss, experiment, create, and develop their own well-supported conclusions.
Practical learning will help students develop financial literacy, teamwork, leadership, communication, emotional awareness, character, and entrepreneurship. Students will also have opportunities to pursue projects connected to interests such as cooking, photography, media production, fashion, construction, and other creative or vocational fields.
What will students gain?
Idlewild students will develop intellectual capability alongside personal responsibility, self-knowledge, practical competence, and greater agency over their education.
Students will be treated as people whose ideas, interests, and contributions matter. With that freedom comes genuine responsibility. They will learn to manage commitments, care for shared spaces, participate in community decisions, work through challenges, and understand how their choices affect others.
Our goal is for students to leave Idlewild academically prepared, emotionally grounded, practically capable, and increasingly able to direct their own learning and lives.
How will academic progress be measured?
Idlewild will combine teacher observation, student work, projects, portfolios, regular feedback, and nationally normed NWEA MAP assessments to understand each student’s academic growth.
We intend to communicate progress clearly and honestly to families. Idlewild also hopes to publish privacy-protected, school-level summaries of its MAP results so prospective families can evaluate our academic outcomes alongside our broader educational mission. No personally identifiable student results will be made public.
What is the schedule?
Idlewild will operate Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The 2027–2028 school year is expected to begin during the mid August 2027 and conclude at the end of May 2028. A complete calendar and sample daily schedule will be provided before enrollment.
What is the tuition?
Tuition is $10,800 for grades 4–5 and $13,500 for grades 6–8 per student for the 2027–2028 school year. Tuition includes all regular program expenses, including curriculum materials, supplies, field trips, and program activities.
Idlewild intends to provide as much need-based tuition assistance as its budget allows. Approval to accept Utah Fits All Scholarship funds is pending; families will receive updated information before enrollment.
Payment schedules, deposit requirements, withdrawal terms, and financial-assistance procedures will be included in the enrollment materials.
How does Idlewild approach safety?
Idlewild gives young people meaningful freedom in close relationship with nature, but that freedom exists within clear and carefully taught boundaries.
Our target enrollment of approximately 15 students, supported by two full-time teachers and an administrator, allows for close relationships and attentive supervision. Students will receive a thorough orientation to the property and its natural features. Staff will establish age-appropriate supervision, check-in procedures, physical boundaries, weather precautions, emergency plans, and expectations for outdoor and water safety.
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.
During the first year, water features will be used primarily for observation, ecology, stewardship, and reflection. Swimming and other recreational water activities will not be part of the regular school day.
Any separately scheduled family water event will require appropriate supervision, parent participation or permission, insurance approval, and activity-specific safety procedures.
View our safety procedures here.