Opening Fall 2025

Welcome to Forager Elementary

Where curiosity leads, learning is meaningful, and each child is supported as a whole – mind, heart, and spirit. 

At Forager Elementary, children build strong academic foundations through thoughtful questioning and hands-on experiences that spark wonder and creativity. Our approach blends structured instruction with open-ended exploration to help students grow into confident, capable, and engaged learners. While we hold high academic standards, our greater goal is to nurture lifelong learners – children who build the skills, habits, and mindset to thrive across disciplines and in life beyond the classroom.

Our Approach

At Forager, learning is:

  • Inquiry-Driven & Project-Based: Students explore meaningful questions through interdisciplinary projects that connect ideas across subjects and develop real-world understanding.

  • Rooted in STEAM: Our curriculum fosters creative thinking and innovation through hands-on explorations in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math – often inspired by the natural world.

  • Academically Robust: We build strong foundations in reading, writing, and math using research-based programs that support both conceptual understanding and skill mastery.

  • Collaborative & Mixed-Age: Our mixed-age classroom mirrors real-world settings, encouraging socio-emotional development, cooperative learning, and peer mentorship.

  • Engaged with the World: Through meaningful, hands-on experiences in their community and beyond, students learn to observe, question, and connect with the world around them. 

FAQs

  • At Forager Elementary, our curriculum is rooted in student-centered discovery, play-based learning, and meaningful engagement with both the indoor and outdoor world. We use an interdisciplinary, project-based learning approach that weaves together literacy, math, science, social studies, and real-world experiences into integrated units of study.

    Our teachers draw on evidence-based curricula in literacy and math, while adapting instruction to meet each child where they are, regardless of age or grade level. We integrate multiple learning modalities and value teaching practices that nurture social-emotional growth, community connection, and individual well-being.

    In addition to core academics, students engage in language, music, and movement as essential parts of their weekly rhythm, supporting creativity, expression, and whole-child development.

  • At Forager Elementary, we see students as collaborators in shaping their own understanding of success. Together, we define what achievement looks like across skill development, content knowledge, and work habits that support growth both in and out of the classroom. We use formative and performance-based assessments to provide students with thoughtful feedback for improvement, ascertain where they are developmentally, and help them derive their own learning goals. 

    We do not administer state standardized tests or rely on traditional summative assessments. Instead, teachers regularly conference on each student’s progress and develop individualized plans to support their unique needs, strengths, and goals.

  • At Forager Elementary, we believe learning is not limited to the classroom, and take advantage of the beautiful wildlife and learning opportunities that exist within the community around us. Real world experiences act as an impetus for further discovery and help us uncover student interests and learning directions. As members of a community, these outings invite students to see themselves as interconnected members of a larger ecosystem. We facilitate a diverse array of outdoor activities and destinations that foster growth and curiosity about our world and our place in it.

Our Campus

We’re located in downtown Gualala just steps from our preschool, in a spacious, light-filled classroom with plenty of outdoor space for play, exploration, and hands-on learning.

Tuition and The Forager Fund

Annual tuition for the 2025-26 school year is $11,930, with a registration fee of $25 and an annual supply fee of $300. Tuition supports the core elements of our program –  small class sizes, dedicated educators, and a rich, hands-on learning environment. 


The Forager School is committed to making our elementary program accessible to a diverse community of families. Need-based tuition assistance is available through The Forager Fund.

To get started, please enter your information on our application page or send an email to our admissions team at admissions@forager.school. Our Admissions team will follow up and send across an application. Families interested in tuition assistance will be invited to submit a separate tuition assistance application, which is reviewed by a third-party processor to assess financial need.

The Forager Fund is sustained through the generous fundraising efforts of our parent community and board members. While we aim to assist as many families as possible, funding is limited and award amounts may vary annually.

Now Enrolling for Fall 2025

We’re currently offering enrollment for our inaugural class serving children ages 5-8. Our age range will expand in future years as the program grows. To learn more, reach out to us at admissions@forager.school

About Our Staff

Michaela Ellis

Founding Director/Lead Teacher

Michaela Ellis (They/Them) is a passionate educator, artist, and lifelong learner with over a decade of teaching experience across diverse Bay Area learning communities. Their work spans mixed-age classrooms from transitional kindergarten through upper elementary, as well as mentorship roles supporting emerging educators. Their approach is fun, holistic, and child-centered – grounded in backwards design and project-based learning. Michaela’s early literacy and math instruction philosophy is informed by their experience in public schools, afterschool programs with Bay Area Community Resources, and at Children’s Fairyland, a creative learning space rooted in inquiry and exploration, where they led curriculum development and programmatic design.


Michaela grew up on the Mendocino coast, a foundation that continues to shape their love of outdoor learning and connection to community and place. They attended Mills College’s Teachers for Tomorrow’s Schools program where they were recognized for their deep understanding of young learners and commitment to social justice in education. With a view of children as essential partners in learning, Michaela creates a nurturing space for students to be challenged and develop their critical thinking skills. Whether supporting students in publishing their own stories, designing hands-on STEAM projects, or leading immersive storytelling, they are driven by a belief in the transformative power of education to build empathy, agency, and joy. Michaela is delighted to join the Forager team and help grow the school’s mission from its preschool roots into the elementary years.

If you're excited about progressive education and working in a vibrant, collaborative community, we’d love to connect. We’re currently hiring assistant teachers and specialists – especially in music and foreign languages – to help bring our interdisciplinary, project-based program to life. Visit our Careers page to learn more.