Last School

Last School is an ongoing educational experiment, a unit of the Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research (SAIIER) rooted in freedom, inner inquiry, and the unfolding potential of each child. 

Located in Auroville, India, the school emerges from the understanding that education is not merely the transmission of knowledge, but a living process of self-discovery, relationship, and becoming.

At the heart of Last School is Free Progress Learning—an approach guided by the belief that every child carries an innate direction and rhythm for growth. Learning here is not driven by comparison, compulsion, or predetermined outcomes, but by curiosity, choice, and meaning. 

Working primarily with teenagers, Last School is grounded in the educational vision of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, and centers on integral development through the method of Free Progress.

“Auroville wants to be a new creation expressing a
new consciousness in a new way and according to new methods.”

~ The Mother

Education as Becoming

At Last School, education is not the delivery of a syllabus, but a living process of growth.
 Learning begins with questions that arise from within the student—guided by curiosity, choice, and inner motivation rather than external standards. Set in an environment of beauty, care, and attentiveness, students explore knowledge beyond formal academic programs, examinations, or diplomas.

Beyond Diplomas

By stepping away from certification as an end goal, Last School seeks to nurture individuals who can meet the complexity of the future— able to think independently, invent new responses, and contribute creatively to an evolving society. Students learn within a supportive and structured collective, while being encouraged toward a deepening individual quest.

From Last School to No School

The journey from “Last School” toward “No School” reflects the second point of the Auroville Charter, which envisions Auroville as a place of unending education, constant progress, and a youth that never ages.

Education here is not a phase to be completed, but a lifelong movement of becoming.

Free Progress Learning

An education guided by the soul – Free Progress Learning, articulated by The Mother, rests on the belief that true learning arises from a free and conscious choice— one that emerges from an awakened aspiration to know and to be more fully oneself.

Freedom here is not the absence of structure. It is a living balance of choice, responsibility, attentiveness, and depth.

A Living Learning Environment

There is no fixed syllabus and no single method. A multiplicity of approaches to learning—intellectual, creative, practical, physical, and inner—creates a rich environment that:

  • Reveals innate capacities

  • Encourages self-discovery

  • Supports the growth of consciousness

Learning unfolds at each student’s rhythm, in relationship with others, and in continuity with life itself.

“If the growth of consciousness were considered as the
principal goal of life, many difficulties will find their solution.”

~ The Mother