The curriculum is integrated. Language arts will appear throughout the day, embedded in mathematics, science and social sciences, just as mathematics will often appear in science.  Art, music, drama and movement are woven throughout the content areas and also receive separate attention.  Physical education is provided every day.

The Course of Study is divided by grade level as a general guideline. However,  VES emphasizes a non-graded environment where students move through the curriculum at individual rates.  In addition, students are offered a wide variety of elective courses to choose from across the curriculum.

A balance of teacher and student-directed learning is achieved through a daily period called Plan-Do-Review.  Plan-Do-Review allows students an opportunity to apply and extend knowledge, acquired in content areas during teacher-directed workshops, to projects of their own design.  The Plan, Do and Review periods are instrumental in developing higher-order and meta-cognitive thinking skills.

Kindergarten and First Grade: letter forms; phonetic values of letters; speech, the quality and nature of sound, oral recitation; writing and illustrating of words, simple thoughts and descriptions in individual notebooks; introduction to reading.

Second Grade: phonetic values of letters; writing of simple thoughts; reading, including their own work and other selected literature; keeping of notebooks of original and copied work; oral recitation; handwriting; spelling.

Third Grade: reading; creative writing; recitation; cursive writing; composition and spelling; grammar, parts of a sentence, building sentences, parts of speech, punctuation; notebooks kept and illustrated; oral and written work developed out of other workshop topics; drama.

Fourth Grade: reading; composition, styles, grammar, spelling; development of formal communication skills; poetry; speech; drama.

Fifth Grade: composition and spelling; reading; recitation; grammar, verb forms, punctuation; speech; drama.

Sixth Grade: composition and spelling; reading; speech; grammar; business English; drama.

Kindergarten and First Grade: geometric forms; rhythmic movement; counting to 100; quality of numbers; introduction to addition, subtraction, multiplication, division; patterns; mental arithmetic (word problems); number sequences and relationships; calendar; introduction to coin value, measurement, graphing and time.

Second Grade: number sequences and relationships; logic; probability; forms for written mathematics; systems of units, 1's, 10's, 100's; math facts through choral drill, practice.

Third Grade: Roman numerals; weights and measures; use of rulers; multiplication tables, oral and written; applied mathematics, scale models, house building; exercises and problems involving time and money.

Fourth Grade: long division; weights and measures; fractions; common denominators; number relationships and sequences; averages; geometric forms; continued drill of basic mathematical processes.

Fifth Grade: fractions; decimals; geometric forms; continued drill of basic mathematical processes.

Sixth Grade: multiplication and division of fractions and decimals; how much is a million?; geometry; symmetry; marth = Math + Art; balancing equations using mobiles and a balance beam;  ten digits equations; measurement; business math; continued drill and review.

Students will gain an understanding of all areas listed below by the end of sixth grade:

Nature study: the plant and animal kingdoms

Kingdoms of nature, stories of animals through fables

Human in nature: farming, gardening, house building, clothing, relationships, e.g., plant-soil, man-animal, etc.

Zoology; botany; gardening; astronomy; geology, minerals; physics, heat, optics, acoustics, magnetism, electricity; chemistry.

Students will gain an understanding of all areas listed below by the end of sixth grade:

Fairy Tales, folk tales and nature stories from around the world, songs, poetry, prose, rhymes, riddles, fables, Native American legends, family, community, comparative cultures from stories and reading, Norse myths, local geography, history and culture, Egyptian and Greek mythology and ancient history, United States history, geography and cultures, map making, Roman history, world geography.

Students will gain an understanding of all areas listed below by the end of sixth grade: 

Knitting, crocheting, recorder, violin and cello, instrumental ensembles, choral singing, singing in rounds, two and three-part choruses, student and teacher directed art experiences, student and teacher initiated drama.

Physical activities range from rhythmic movement to running, with emphasis on developing large muscle coordination, cooperation and basic skills.