+ What are VSL's school hours?

At VSL drop-off runs from 8:30-8:45AM. Early care is provided for $10 per student per day starting at 7:45AM. Pick-up runs from 3:30-3:45PM. Students are able to sign-up for after school clubs that run from 3:45-5:00PM, with varying prices.

+ What is the VSL curriculum?

The curriculum at VSL is unlike anything else being taught in the USA. Inspired by the Finnish model of teaching, VSL seeks to make lifelong learners by motivating students with individualized lesson plans that enhance our hands-on, project-based curriculum, grounded in gender and racial equity. Children learn relevant material that encourages students to use their skills outside of the classroom and in their daily lives. Additional information about our curriculum can be found under our Educational Threads page.

+ What grades does VSL teach?

In the 2024-2025 school year, we have grades K-9th. VSL is adding 10th grade for the 2025-2026 school year, and we will be adding a grade each year until we offer K-12th grades.

+ Where is the school located?

VSL's first location was in the Highlands neighborhood of Louisville, in the classroom building of Rock Vineyard Church, 1649 Cowling Ave. Due to our rapid and successful enrollment growth, in fall 2022 we were able to begin prospecting nearby locations for future years. In the 2023-2024 school year, we moved to a new location and have been at the location since: 770 Eastern Parkway in Germantown.

+ What makes VSL unique?

VSL is unlike any other school in the country. We believe in the whole family approach to education, where if you support the caregivers, you support the children. We also believe in the whole child approach to education, where you focus not only on what a child learns but also how they learn and their emotional and mental health. VSL believes this approach enables us to form a strong community that values the joy of being a child and supports parents in a world filled with uncertainty.

VSL is a place of joyful learning. We pride ourselves on giving kids plenty of time to play and have fun. Inspired by the forest school model and because nature itself is a classroom, we devote ample time to learning outside. While forest schools are common in Europe, they are just beginning to make an appearance here in the United States.

VSL is a place for children to be treated as individuals and not as numbers or test scores. VSL assesses each child to make sure they are being taught where they are instead of based on age or grade. This gives us the ability to work with children who are struggling or those who are ahead.

+ What is the admissions process?

Applications to VSL are available online under our Admissions page. Once you have applied to VSL, we schedule a tour so that you can get to know VSL better. Though this tour does not impact the admissions decision, it is an important part of the admissions process and getting to know each other better. Once a tour has been completed we schedule a shadow date for your student(s).

+ Is VSL affordable?

Private school can be expensive and in a lot of cases, too much for families. At VSL, we understand this. In order to make our school affordable to families we use a sliding scale based on income. The board has approved the full tuition rate of $9750. This will be the most any family will pay for one child during the 2024-2025 school year. The sliding scale will be decided by the financial aid committee. Please visit our Admissions page for details.

+ Is VSL accredited?

VSL is excited to announce that we are accreditated with Cognia, a forward-focused global nonprofit on a mission to improve educational opportunities for all learners. Accreditation unlocks access to resources and development opportunities that further benefit our students, teachers, and families. Additionally, accreditation and certification offer caregivers and faculty strengthened confidence and trust in VSL’s board of directors and third-party accountability. We are proud to commit to continual review and improvement aligned with Cognia's six-year accreditation cycle, and we are eager to demonstrate the holistic and thoughtful education our existing families and students—our village—experience at VSL.

+ What is Joyful Learning?

In Finland there is a saying, which in essence, relays that those things you learn without joy you will forget easily. At VSL, we want our students to be learning skills and information relevant to their long term success and thus we want them to remember what they are learning. Along with the science supporting the improved efficacy of learning not when stressed but when joyful, this Finnish saying drives VSL’s approach to learning.

However, the word joyful often is misunderstood as fun, happy, easy, or unstructured. Nothing could be further from the truth. Joy is far deeper than something that is fun or happy; it is something that is only experienced if there is a struggle or challenge to achieve, to accomplish, and to deeply understand. While there is definitely time for fun at VSL, VSL’s faculty, staff, students, and parents seek out the challenging work so that joyful learning can be realized.

+ Who are VSL's leaders?

VSL started with an idea by Heather Harrell, who wanted a school that encouraged her children to love learning while also teaching them gender equity. Heather was especially inspired by the Finnish model of education and how they were equitably and joyfully teaching in their schools. This idea grew as more people joined in her vision, creating the working board now serving the school.

Click here for the current Board of Directors.