Free schools are also known as democratic schools, and they are rooted in the belief that all people like learning and want to learn. For more than a century these schools have prided themselves in their commitment to self-directed learning and equality in decision making. The Manhattan Free School is modeled after long-running democratic schools, such as The Summerhill School (England), The Sudbury Valley School (Framingham, Massachusetts), and The Albany Free School (Albany, New York).
