Clonlara School

Clonlara is a private school and homeschool umbrella based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, founded in 1967 — one of the oldest and most unusual players in the umbrella space. Clonlara is known for its philosophical commitment to student-directed learning, its long relationship with unschooling and democratic-education communities, and its willingness to accredit highly nontraditional homeschool trajectories.

Pedagogy. Clonlara's core philosophical commitment is that students are capable of directing much of their own education and that accreditation should recognize what students actually learn rather than enforce what they should study. Clonlara advisors help families document learning across a wide range of approaches: unschooling, interest-led learning, apprenticeship-based programs, student-designed courses, travel-based learning, and more traditional curriculum use. Unlike NARHS (which is curriculum-agnostic but still oriented toward standard course structures), Clonlara is actively welcoming of learning paths that don't fit standard course categories.

Usability. Enrollment includes an assigned advisor who works with the family to design or document the student's educational program. Students work on their self-designed or family-selected program; the advisor meets periodically (typically monthly or quarterly) to discuss progress, review documentation, and help map work toward credits. At graduation, Clonlara issues an accredited diploma.

Full-time elementary through high school enrollment is available. Middle and high school have the most robust advisor engagement.

Parent labor: meaningful but oriented toward documentation and advisor conversation rather than formal record-keeping. Families who find NARHS's paperwork onerous sometimes find Clonlara's conversational model easier; families who want a structured checklist sometimes find Clonlara's narrative approach too loose.

Cost. Enrollment runs approximately $1,800-2,600 per year per student depending on grade and program (verify at clonlara.org), with scholarship options and sibling discounts. More expensive than NARHS, less expensive than Bridgeway TCP or LUOA full-time.

Flexibility. Maximum, perhaps higher than NARHS because Clonlara is philosophically oriented toward nonstandard programs rather than just tolerating them. Students can design their own courses with advisor guidance.

Accreditation/Portability. Regionally accredited through MIAA (Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools). Diploma accepted by colleges (including competitive colleges — Clonlara has a long track record placing unschooled and nontraditional students into college), employers, and military. Colleges familiar with unschooling often view Clonlara transcripts as high-signal for self-directed learners.

Support. Advisor relationship is high-touch. Clonlara's staff has deep expertise in nontraditional education and can help families translate unusual learning experiences into transcript-legible credit.

Fit. Best for: unschooling and interest-led learning families; students with unusual trajectories (young entrepreneurs, performing artists, athletes, travelers); families in philosophical alignment with student-directed learning; families needing accreditation for a nontraditional program. Weak fit: families who want standard curriculum, families uncomfortable with narrative documentation, tight-budget situations.

Ratings. Pedagogical Rigor: N/A (not a curriculum) · Usability: 4.0/5 · Cost: 3.0/5 · Flexibility: 5.0/5 · Accreditation/Portability: 4.5/5 · Support: 4.5/5 · Fit-to-Family: 4.5/5 (for its audience).

Bottom line. Clonlara is the accredited home for unschoolers and student-directed learners. Few other accredited schools can translate nontraditional learning into a legitimate diploma as fluently.