LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When we think of private schools, you may think it’s expensive and exclusive, but the City Schoolhouse is different. Families can pay what they can.

The visionary behind it all is Christina Poole. She first decided to home-school her own children a few years ago.  

“We were doing some work in the Portland neighborhood and very organically some parents expressed their disappointment with the school choices that were in the neighborhood and then if they had to have their kids go all way across town on a bus five and six year olds and so in 2017 we started City Schoolhouse with nine students and four families and here we are today now in 2019 with over sixty students," Poole said. 

The say “it takes a village to raise a child.” City Schoolhouse puts the phrase to the test every day. Parents volunteer countless hours at the school. They watch over every child like their own. Classes are held at Portland Promise Center. 

"This community with other moms and other teachers and their helping me be a better parent really," Renee Villatoro said. 

Class sizes range from 10 to 15 students and students. They are taught in developmental age groups inspired by Montessori teaching techniques.

Renee Villatoro teaches Spanish.“Some moms have full-time jobs and the can't volunteer during the day one mom comes and teaches dance another dad does the P.E. and some of the parents do the cross country and some of the parents just come for special events but we kind of have figured out a way to involve everybody in a way that works best for all the parents and all the kids," Villatoro said. 

She's confident her five kids are getting a good education. Just ask her daughter, Jocelyn.

"My teacher, Ms. India, she's so nice. She honestly teaches us so much. Now I know what a Mayor, a Governor is, a President is. Oh, my goodness," Jocelyn said. 

Teachers, like Ms. India, who are drawn to City Schoolhouse see this approach to teaching as one that's powerful enough to change neighborhoods and generations forever if given a chance.

"A lot of families I feel like are moving toward this. They are wanting to stay at home, they are wanting to have a hand in their children's education and wanting to have a say in what their children are learning, or what they are not learning. So, I definitely see this as a movement that I’m proud and happy and privileged to be a part of it," India Williams said. 

Life circumstances don't mean the door is shut for families who can't afford a certain tuition price. 

"Understanding that that our families may be a single mom, or may have an incarcerated parent, or may have addiction in the family, or maybe just very low income. We want to make sure that all of those families have the same opportunities as others," Poole said. 

Plans for another city schoolhouse are already on the way. The goal is to expand within the West End in the near future.