In the fall of 2006 Pacem Learning Community first offered classes to homeschoolers in Central Vermont with the goal of incorporating peace, arts, community, and environmental stewardship into a powerful and student-centered learning community. The following year, we moved to the Vermont College of Fine Arts Campus, Montpelier, Vermont. Our location puts us in Vermont’s capital city and Central Vermont’s hub of cultural, artistic, intellectual, civic, and culinary activity. While we are within walking distance to the downtown area, Pacem has backdoor access to sledding, cross-country skiing, and hiking. In fall of 2014 we moved into our current more spacious location still on the VCFA campus.
After 5 years of operation, we held a visioning meeting to help guide our direction for the next 5 years. At this time, we heard clear support from the community both for staying in the town of Montpelier and for expanding our programs to include a full-time high school. In February of 2012, we received recognition from the State of Vermont Department of Education to open as a “State Recognized” independent high school. In light of this news, the board and general circle agreed to change our name to “Pacem School” to better reflect our new status. In 2015, we became a State of Vermont “Approved Independent School”. This status allows us to receive public money for students from choice towns. In 2016, we celebrated our 10th anniversary, and we have been building our programs ever since!