Stafford Farm School was originally created in response to the school closures during the 2020 Global Pandemic. Our founder, Annie McKnight, dreamed of a space for other families to join her in navigating home school within a community. She hired a teacher to come teach two days per week and enrolled eleven students between the grades of K-2nd. This “one-room schoolhouse” on a resident property became a vibrant place of rich friendships and incredible academic success for this small group of students.

 

While there was not a long-term plan at the time, even when schools reopened, 100% of the students returned for a second year and we added two additional students, for a total of thirteen children. We covered grades 1st- 3rd and increased our in-class learning to three days a week. We quickly realized we had discovered a unique and desirable way to educate children. With a growing wait-list and many younger siblings approaching K-1st grade, we knew that expanding was inevitable.

 

In January of 2022 we became an Oregon non-profit business and submitted our application with the IRS for our 501(c)3 status. We raised over $50,000 to transform a 2,000 square foot shop into a state of the art classroom space on a nearby residential property. In September of 2022 we officially launched our second campus with 18 students in the 2nd-4th grade and, simultaneously, opened our K-1st grade blend at our original campus with 13 new students. With the launch of our new website in the spring of 2022 and the increase of word of mouth marketing, inquiries about our waitlist and school have exploded. What a privilege it has been to see God at work in the lives of our students! Our hope is to be able to provide this beautiful parent & teacher driven learning model to even more kids!

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Starting Fall of 2023, we expanded our classes to serve students K-6th Grade. With the exception of Kindergarten, our classes moved to two grade blends as follows: 1st-2nd, 3rd-4th, and 5th-6th.  Our expansion project includes finding a central campus for the majority of our classes, while continuing to utilize our gorgeous existing classrooms. We’ve developed a standard-based curriculum to meet the needs of the growing student body which tripled in size.

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For the 2024-2025 school year, we expanded again to K-8th serving 160 students and their families. We launched our Junior High program with the desire to equip students to know who they are and whose they are with a firm foundation in their relationship with Jesus. We know this tween/teen stage of childhood is crucial as they become more independent and grow in opportunities to be responsible academically, socially and personally.

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Each year we have been continually reminded of God's goodness and faithfulness as He has provided for SFS in countless ways. What a joy it is to trust Him to lead our way as we serve this community of kids and their families.