North Star Self-Directed Learning for Teens | NorthStarTeens.org

A group of teens smiles for the camera, surrounded by nature.

Since 1996, North Star has provided an alternative to middle and high school where teens learn in the way that suits them best with a core belief that “learning is natural, school is optional.”

North Star is a nonprofit organization that operates more closely to a community center than a school, offering a full schedule of non-compulsory classes, tutorials, workshops, volunteer opportunities, and outings for youth ages 11-19. Each member is assigned a personal advisor from core staff to build personal connections and support their interests.

North Star believes that people learn all the time and in all kinds of places. It doesn’t have to look like school or feel like school to be valuable, and it’s not necessary to make distinctions between “schoolwork” and “your own hobbies” or “for credit” and “not for credit.” As one member who had recently left school observed, “everything I do counts now.”

North Star serves a largely queer and neurodiverse community with our core staff offering both lived and learned experience. They enroll year-round on a sliding scale, never turning any family away for lack of funds.

WEBSITE

Instagram | Facebook