Overview

Pono was founded in 2010 by a parent, educator, and education researcher in response to the need for a harmonious learning community and an authentic world learning environment that protects children's innate curiosity, genius, wonderment, and drive to explore and grow, by trusting them to initiate and direct their own learning.

Pono is a pioneer in offering an educational program that is both outdoor and democratic: a program where the children spend at least half of their time out of the classroom in and around New York City. Students design the curriculum through a process that respects and reflects their varied individual learning interests, and they govern their learning community through a democratic process. They pursue topics and long-term projects in fields as diverse as natural sciences (including biology, chemistry, Earth science, and physics), history, creative movement and dance, foreign languages (e.g., Spanish, Japanese, and Arabic), gardening, health and nutrition, cooking, reading, art, yoga, music, charity, fashion design, carpentry, sports, meditation, entomology, and more.

Since it opened, Pono's programs have served more than 140 children ages 2 to 16 years old from different neighborhoods and boroughs of New York City.

Pono’s middle and high school programs are open for full-time and part-time enrollment. Pono’s elementary program was paused in 2021 and will remain on pause until 2024. Pono's preschool program is closed.