 The Brooklyn Free School is a private , ungraded , democratic free school in Fort Greene , Brooklyn , founded in 2004 . Students range in age from 4 to 18 years old . The school follows the <unk> philosophy of the 1960s / 70s free school movement schools , which encourages self @-@ directed learning and protects child freedom of activity . There are no grades , no tests , and classes are non @-@ compulsory . As of 2015 , the school enrolls 80 students and has about 24 graduates . 
