Rishi Valley School
Rishi Valley School is a boarding school in India, founded by the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. It is located close to the town of Madanapalle, Krishnamurti's birthplace, in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Rishi Valley is a three-hour drive from the city of Bangalore and four hours from the city of Chennai.The school is reputed for its holistic approach to education in the spirit of Krishnamurti's vision of education. Community service and extracurricular activities constitute an integral part of a student's schooling, as do active discussions and debates in classrooms, assemblies and club meetings. It has been considered to be among the best boarding schools in India.OverviewThe school follows the ICSE board for the ninth and tenth standard years and the ISC for the eleventh and twelfth. The school is known its holistic approach to education which includes developing an appreciation for nature, art and music among more traditional subjects. The school also runs the Rishi Valley Institute for Educational Resources (RIVER) program and a rural school (Rural Education Center) and a health center (Rural Health Center).The school accepts students from fourth through twelfth standard (ages five–eighteen). The students are accommodated in twenty boarding houses. The school is divided into a junior (fourth through eighth) and a senior (ninth to twelfth) school.With a large campus spread over 360 acres (1.5 km2) in the Rayalseema area of southern Andhra Pradesh, Rishi Valley was chosen by Krishnamurti for its atmosphere of peace and serenity, centered around a large banyan tree, one of the oldest in India.
