Wyldwood School
Foundational Formation for the Age of AI
Where children become creators, not consumers. Since 2026.
The Problem We Solved
By the mid-2020s, childhood had become a crisis. Screens had captured attention before brains could develop. Schools trained children to be good factory workers—sit still, follow bells, stare at Chromebooks. Parents watched their kids lose the ability to imagine, to build, to connect with the physical world.
Meanwhile, AI was reshaping everything. The irony was brutal: schools were using technology to prepare kids for a technological future, but they were destroying the very capacities—creativity, imagination, embodied wisdom—that would matter most.
Wyldwood School was founded on a radical premise: the best preparation for an AI-transformed world is formation that technology cannot replicate.
Our Philosophy
Use Tools. Don't Be Used By Them.
We're not anti-technology. We're anti-formation-by-technology. There's a difference.
Young children's brains are still being wired. What they do with their hands shapes their minds. What captures their attention forms their souls. We refuse to outsource that formation to algorithms designed to maximize engagement.
Our graduates will master AI. But first, they master themselves.
Imagination Is the Ultimate Skill
In an age of automation and robotics, what becomes most valuable? What machines cannot do: original thought, creative vision, the ability to imagine what doesn't yet exist.
Imagination isn't cultivated by consuming content. It's cultivated by long hours of unstructured play, by building with your hands, by staring at clouds, by solving real problems in the physical world.
Creators, Not Consumers
Every child at Wyldwood makes things. They build structures from wood they helped fell. They grow food they cook and eat. They care for animals. They create art, music, stories. They contribute to a real community that depends on their work.
This isn't extracurricular. This is the curriculum.
Our Model
Morning: Core Academics in Nature (2 hours)
Reading, writing, arithmetic. Pen and paper. Studies now confirm what we intuited: handwriting builds neural pathways that typing cannot. Our students consistently outperform their screen-educated peers on standardized measures—while spending half the time on formal academics.
We teach math by counting sticks, measuring gardens, calculating harvests. Literacy through storytelling around fires and journaling under trees.
Midday: Hands-On Life Skills (3 hours)
- Land Stewardship — Regenerative farming, animal husbandry, understanding ecosystems
- Building & Making — Woodworking, construction, crafts with real materials
- Food Cultivation & Kitchen Arts — From seed to table to shared meal
- Adventure Challenges — Team problem-solving in the wilderness
Afternoon: Imagination & Formation (2 hours)
- Unstructured Play — The most endangered and essential activity of childhood
- Storytelling & Creative Expression — Oral tradition, drama, art
- Faith & Character — Chapel, reflection, learning to hear God's voice in nature
- Community Contribution — Real work that serves the Wyldwood community
The Wyldwood Difference
🌲 75 Acres of Formation Our campus is Wyldwood Ranch—75 acres along the Colorado River east of Austin. Forest, river, farmland, and purpose-built learning spaces. Children don't just visit nature. They live in it.
🔥 Faith-Integrated, Not Faith-Imposed We believe children encounter God most naturally in creation. Chapel happens under open sky. Character forms through real challenges and real community. This isn't religion class. This is integrated spiritual formation.
🏠 Community, Not Commute Wyldwood School is embedded in the broader Wyldwood Studios community—artists, craftspeople, farmers, filmmakers all building something together. Students don't just attend school. They belong to a village.
🛠️ Real Work, Real Contribution Students help build Wyldwood. Literally. They contribute to the gardens that feed residents. They assist craftspeople. Their work matters. This is not simulation.
By The Numbers (2030)
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Campus | Wyldwood Ranch, Bastrop, TX |
| Grades Served | K-5 |
| Students Enrolled | 72 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 10:1 |
| Acres Per Student | 1+ |
| Hours Outdoors Daily | 5+ |
| Standardized Test Performance | 91st percentile average |
| Parent Retention Rate | 94% |
What Parents Say
"My son couldn't sit still in traditional school. They wanted to medicate him. At Wyldwood, his energy became an asset. He builds things. He leads expeditions. He reads better than his peers who spent all day at desks." — Jennifer M., founding family since 2026
"We were terrified of screens. Every other school handed kids Chromebooks. Wyldwood gave our daughter dirt under her fingernails and stories in her head. She imagines worlds now. She creates constantly." — David & Maria S., Bastrop
"Our kids know where food comes from because they grew it. They know what hard work feels like because they've done it. They know God because they've met Him in the woods. No curriculum could teach what Wyldwood teaches." — The Thompson Family, Austin
Investment in Formation
Annual Tuition: $25,000
This is a premium investment in your child's foundational years. We make no apologies for the cost. Small class sizes, expansive land, master teachers, and real materials require real resources.
What You're Investing In:
- The years that shape everything that follows
- Protection from attention-hijacking technology during critical development
- Genuine community and belonging
- Skills that will matter when AI handles the rest
- A childhood your child will remember
Financial Aid: Limited scholarship support available for mission-aligned families. Texas Education Freedom Accounts ($10,800/student) can offset tuition.
Our Story
December 2025 – January 2026 — Zachary Levi (actor, founder of Wyldwood Studios) had a vision for Wyldwood Ranch that went beyond a film studio. He wanted to build an intentional community, and that meant educating children differently. Over those two months, Zach assembled a small team: educators who understood outdoor experiential learning, parents who refused to surrender their kids to screens, and builders already constructing the Wyldwood community.
Spring 2026 — As Texas prepared to launch Education Freedom Accounts, the team designed a school from first principles. No Chromebooks. No factory-model bells. Just land, community, and the ancient work of forming young humans.
Summer 2026 — A purpose-built schoolhouse rose on the property. Community members, future parents, and craftspeople worked side by side to construct it.
Fall 2026 — Wyldwood School opened with 24 students in grades K-3. The curriculum was simple: academics in the morning, hands and land in the afternoon, imagination always. Parents wept watching their children come alive.
Fall 2027 — Word spread. Enrollment grew to 48 students. Grades 4-5 were added. The waiting list began.
Fall 2028 — Middle school program launched for graduates who wanted to continue. The first cohort of Wyldwood-formed students demonstrated something remarkable: they could learn anything, build anything, imagine anything. They weren't afraid of AI. They weren't addicted to screens. They were whole.
Fall 2030 (Today) — 72 students now call Wyldwood School home. Our original kindergarteners are fourth graders who can fell a tree, grow a garden, cook a meal, write a story, and sit in silence with God. They're ready for whatever comes next.
We're proving that the best preparation for the future is ancient: community, nature, craft, faith, and the irreplaceable gift of an unhijacked childhood.
Enrollment
Now Accepting Applications for Fall 2031
Limited to 80 students total. Priority given to:
- Wyldwood community residents
- Founding families
- Families relocating to Bastrop area
Contact: admissions@wyldwoodschool.com
Visit Us
The best way to understand Wyldwood School is to experience it. We host monthly open days where prospective families can walk the land, meet teachers, and watch children learn.
Location: Wyldwood Ranch, Bastrop, TX (75 acres on the Colorado River) Website: www.wyldwoodschool.com Inquiries: hello@wyldwoodschool.com
"The question isn't whether your children will encounter AI. The question is whether they'll be formed enough to use it wisely—or whether they'll already be captured by it."
— Zachary Levi, Founder