Middle and high school students are invited to join our project-based Microschool where they will participate in classes covering a wide range of student-selected, engagingly interactive, interdisciplinary topics each Wednesday-Friday.
If you'd rather sign up for individual classes, or are looking for our offerings for younger students, see our page here.
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Microschool at a glance:
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Choose 2 or 3 day/week options for immersive learning experiences on-site at Prairiewood Forest School.
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Remaining 2 or 3 days each week for student-driven, caregiver-assisted, advisor-supported instruction from home each week (online curriculum provided).
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Small class sizes of no more than 10 Microschool students (enrichment electives such as Wild Wanderers may have up to 16 students with 2 class Mentors).
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Highly qualified educators with expertise and years of experience in their fields.
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Six, six-week blocks each culminate in a student-directed inquiry project.
New and returning families can apply for the next enrollment lottery HERE.
​Details at a Glance:
when: See our School Calendar or Registration Page for upcoming class dates. Our Microschool year consists of 6 blocks (with Fall, Winter, and Spring breaks) and runs from August - May. On-site class day options (choose 2 or 3) include 11am-4pm on Wednesdays, 10am-3pm on Thursdays, and 10am-3pm on Fridays.
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who: Students in grades 6-12 (drop-off program) who thrive at Prairiewood Microschool:
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are curious learners who ask lots of questions;
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feel excited to spend much of each class day outside, in all kinds of safe weather;
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learn best with plenty of time and space for active movement, hands-on activities, and engaging discussions;
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are ready to participate in setting their own learning goals, developing their own learning plan, and committing to independent and group projects of their own design;
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practice kindness, patience, listening, and critical thinking in problem solving with peers, adults, and themselves.​​
where: Prairiewood Forest School at St. Francis of the Woods (a 580 acre non-profit in Coyle, OK with the vision of transforming the world through community, creativity, and care for nature). See photos of our learning spaces here.
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cost: $250 registration fee + $7,500 annual tuition per student includes 36 weeks of Wednesday-Friday in-person classes, an individualized learning plan developed with students and our Advisor, online curriculum for home learning days, and for high schoolers, a transcript. Scholarship funding is available.
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volunteer: Parents/guardians of Microschool students are asked to volunteer at least 20 hours per year by helping with Prairiewood events, fundraisers, and other needs. This investment is vital to our school’s success! You can meet your requirement through signing up for in-person or remote roles.
Mission: Our mission is to facilitate an environment conducive to meaningful connection, self-directed learning, practical skill development, and creative expression; and to provide opportunities for students and families to find community and belonging with peers, caring Mentors, and reciprocal relationship with the land itself.
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Emergent Curriculum: Prairiewood's Emergent Curriculum draws inspiration from educational philosophies including the forest school model, inquiry- and project-based learning, and place-based education. Microschool students work with an Advisor each year to develop the overall "Learning Map" (individualized learning plan) and specific "Quests" (student-directed inquiry projects) that will best meet the student's needs, abilities, interests, and learning strengths.​
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**use the arrows above to scroll through a gallery of photos from past sessions!**
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is a Microschool?​
A microschool is a community-oriented learning environment with small, multi-age classes, flexible schedules, and meaningful learning experiences, where caring, responsive educators welcome curiosity and support students as they lead the way in their own learning.
It’s “micro” because we’ll never grow beyond the number of students we can authentically support with individualized learning plans, and it’s a “school” because we journey through a full-time curriculum throughout the school year together!
What does it mean that Prairiewood Microschool is place-based and nature-immersed?
At Prairiewood Forest School, the natural environment is our first teacher. Even our literature classes meet outside whenever possible — what better place to find poetic inspiration than immersed in the natural beauty of our inspiring crosstimber location? Whether students are studying biology close-up at our pond, completing a wilderness survival challenge in the woods, debating historical perspectives in the arboretum, or creating their own game to play in the prairie labyrinth during lunch break, we have seen how place-based nature immersion not only increases a sense of belonging and connection, but also decreases sensory overwhelm and stress which, in turn, increases focus and motivation. Students connect with place by experiencing Oklahoma's seasons, weather, landscape, flora, and fauna firsthand, and by learning from and about local community members. Between 50-100% of each class session meets outside in all safe weather, so we learn the life skills of dressing for the weather, arriving prepared, and having resiliency despite the safe but less mild weather days. Our Lab/Studio, Library, and Kitchen spaces are available when indoor equipment or research is needed, and for hazardous weather such as lightning storms or extreme heat.
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What does it mean that Prairiewood Microschool is project-based?
We're all about asking questions and immersing ourselves in hands-on experiences that help us make discoveries... and usually, more questions to ask! Instead of inflexible evaluations of rote memorization, students get to authentically demonstrate their learning in their Personal Portfolios, especially highlighting their 6 annual projects that are the result of group and individual inquiry processes. We love seeing how this method of assessment and documentation also becomes a key piece of the learning journey! Projects over the last year have included writing and performing a group skit about native felines of Oklahoma, constructing a tree swing from materials sustainably harvested from our forest, making a short film about ant behavior, building a vacuum cannon, and writing a fantasy "Spell Book."
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Who are Prairiewood Microschool's teachers?
Adults who have expertise in their fields, including university professors, published authors, and experienced artists, travel alongside students as Mentors on their learning journeys. You can see Mentor Bios here. All Mentors are background checked and receive annual Safeguarding training in addition to content- and teaching-specific professional development.
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What curriculum do you use?
Prairiewood's Emergent Curriculum draws inspiration from educational philosophies including the forest school model, inquiry- and project-based learning, and place-based education. Microschool students work with an Advisor each year to develop the "Learning Map" (individualized learning plan) that will best meet the student's needs, abilities, interests, and learning strengths. On-site learning time includes a wide range of engaging, interdisciplinary classes selected by the students, and at-home learning days may include an online or print curriculum chosen to help prepare the student to meet their goals. Caregiver input is important to us as we take into account your family's needs and goals as a part of this process as well.
What's the difference between enrolling in Prairiewood Microschool and the other classes?
Microschool students are considered full-time students of Prairiewood Microschool, with their educational needs met through our on-site classes as well as a student-directed plan for home learning. Other students, who may not have begun school yet or who may homeschool or attend virtual or public school on other days, are also welcome to attend one or more on-site classes at Prairiewood, but we are not considered their school home and we do not provide a customized Learning Plan or at-home curriculum for those students.
If you're looking for individual classes for your students (rather than enrollment in our full-time Microschool program), we do offer those as well... see more here.
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So, Prairiewood Microschool is an academic school program? It looks like kids just playing around outside!
Prairiewood Microschool is a full-time educational program preparing students to meet their current and future academic and life goals. We know that experiencing childhood wonder, discovery, play, and creativity is never at odds with academic learning! The pace of life here may seem slower, but we believe it results in learning that's deeper. Our students are honing their writing skills based on their outdoor experiences, finding meaning in impactful works of literature read from a hammock by the pond, making history documentaries to showcase at community celebrations, investigating the pond water in the lab and taking action to improve habitat for local wildlife, AND serving up woodland specialties at our mud kitchen in the woods.
Let your students stop and smell the flowers... and identify, taste, experiment, and paint with them!
Why am I just now hearing about you!?
​Prairiewood Forest School was founded in 2021 and has steadily grown with more classes and students year after year since then. After 18 months of trialing our Microschool program for a small but growing group of returning students, we are officially opening the program for full-time applications for the 2026-2027 school year. Check out one of our public events and see what it's all about!
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Please chat with a class mentor or email prairiewood@stfrancisofthewoods.org if you have any additional questions!​
