The Kickapoo Valley Forest School (KVFS) was established in 2020 as a tuition-free, nature-immersion public charter school authorized by the La Farge School District, and for the present school year has grown to serve students in 4K-4th grade.
In May of 2025, the KVFS Governance Council was awarded their second charter school implementation grant of $1.1 million from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, which will support the further development of an upper elementary school to be named the Kickapoo Valley Field School. At the start of the 2026-2027 school year, the KVFS organization will transition to a lower elementary Forest School (grades 4K-2nd) and an upper elementary Field School (grades 3rd-5th).
KVFS’ innovative approach to public education honors nature immersion, child-centered practices, and environmental stewardship, and is achieved by students spending multiple hours each day in nature. Studies show what KVFS staff and families experience: that when students disconnect from screens and plug into unstructured time in the natural world their curiosity is fostered, real world skills are practiced, deep focus and attention are cultivated, and care for our peers and our natural resources is instilled.
While our students spend on average 500-800 hours outside each year (as compared to 200-300 in traditional schools), daily outdoor and nature immersion is not the only thing that sets KVFS apart. The faculty and staff’s attention to the development of the whole child influences every part of KVFS, from its curriculum and assessment, to the daily schedule and rhythm of each week. Returning KVFS parent Asha Myers says, “Our child has shown tremendous growth thanks to her forest school education! Learning at the forest school is robust and holistic. We are honestly floored by just how much goodness is being poured into our child’s life. My child comes home equally excited to share her deepening knowledge and love of math and the alphabet with us while also astounding us with her knowledge of life cycles, ecosystems, and her ability to tell us which bird is singing based on the song she hears. Her curiosity is continually sparked and fueled at KVFS.”
Starting this school year, KVFS will be entirely located at the La Farge School District campus with 1st-4th grade homerooms within the historic 1901 building’s third floor. Here, KVFS students will have access to direct District supports, while being together in one space will enhance staff collaboration and innovation. Outdoor daily immersion will continue to anchor the school experience for KVFS students. Continuing a successful partnership with Organic Valley will allow students access to the woods, fields, streams, and trails of the 26-acre Headquarters property just up the hill from the 1901 building. Additionally, a growing portfolio of partnerships with landowners in and around the village gives students easy walking access to immersive nature for play and project-based learning. Twice weekly, 2nd-4th grade students will get to experience full immersion days with a short bus ride to the numerous public lands that surround La Farge, offering students exposure to many diverse landscapes within the Driftless region.
“The connections to our community through partnerships with local landowners will prove to be valuable beyond measure,” noted KVFS Development Director Jonel Kiesau. “Not only will students have access to hundreds of acres, but they will also be able to experience many different ecosystems and landscapes right here in their “local backyard”. We are so grateful for the community’s continued support of KVFS students!”
Staff, families, and students have been abuzz with excitement over the relocation. Knowing students will be together, in a facility created to serve children promises an abundance of opportunities for the future. Although as previously noted daily outdoor immersion, protection of play in childhood, and place-based education are all pillars of the KVFS Way, students still need warm, dry, dynamic classrooms, and the 1901 offers just that.
“Our relocation to the 1901 Building in the La Farge Schools creates a new beginning for the school and new opportunities to more deeply engage with our larger community to create a culture of collaboration within the district. We are deeply grateful for the support of the La Farge School board and staff and are excited to continue to enhance and grow public education together,” noted KVFS Governance Council President Emily Schendel. “Being able to move our school to the beautiful second floor of the historic 1901 building, with sweeping views of the Driftless landscape and echoes of decades of La Farge School students learning within these classrooms fosters a dynamic connection between the legacy of the District and the community it serves and the opportunity that charter school innovation can achieve in a changing world.”
The Kickapoo Valley Forest and Field Schools are innovative public school models that keep students engaged with their bodies, hearts, and minds while teaching the academic skills that will prepare students for success in middle school and beyond. For more information visit www.kickapoovalleyforestschoo