Willow Smith Said She Was ‘So Depressed’ Attending Public School — Is Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s ‘Study Tech Curriculum’ To Blame?

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have been open about problems in their marriage and their unconventional parenting strategies. One technique the Smiths utilized is a form of homeschooling for their children Willow and Jaden that led them to believe school is a waste of time. Did Will and Jada’s methods contribute to Willow’s feelings about public school?

Did Will Smith or Jada Pinkett Smith attend public school?

Will and Jada weren’t born celebrities. Each came into the entertainment business with their own unique background. Will is a Philadelphia native, and though his parents separated when he was 13 years old, his home life was Baptist and education-focused.

Will attended the private Catholic elementary school, Our Lady of Lourdes, then the public school, Overbrook High. Will’s good grades earned him acceptance and a scholarship to Massachusettes Institute of Technology (MIT), but he turned the offer down to pursue a career in acting.

Jada grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. There, she attended the Baltimore School of the Arts in her later years of education where she majored in dance and theater. She befriended the late rapper, Tupac Shakur, before graduating in 1989.

Because of their careers, Will and Jada chose to home-school because their togetherness “is of a higher value than sitting in a classroom,” Will said in an episode of Red Table Talk. Could that be a reason Willow’s feelings turned sour toward public school?

Willow Smith had mixed feelings about attending school

Schooling is different for many of Hollywood’s youngest, whether they’re born into a famous family or they become famous. Willow attended a “regular” school “for one year,” and said she had mixed feelings about the whole thing.

“It was the best experience but the worst experience,” she told T Magazine. “The best experience because I was, like, ‘Oh, now I know why kids are so depressed.’ But it was the worst experience because I was depressed.”

In the same interview, Jaden said “school is not authentic because it ends.”

He explained: “It’s not true, it’s not real. Our learning will never end. The school that we go to every single morning, we will continue to go to.”

“You never learn anything in school. Think about how many car accidents happen every day. Driver’s ed? What’s up?” he added. “I still haven’t been to driver’s ed because if everybody I know has been in an accident, I can’t see how driver’s ed is really helping them out.”

Could the Smith’s New Village Leadership Academy have impacted thoughts on school?

In previous years, Will and Jada have face scrutiny over their reported involvement with the Church of Scientology. Jada refuted claims against things stated by Leah Remeni, saying her grandmother raised her to learn all religions so she could best choose which she prefers.

Will and Jada later founded an independent school, New Village Leadership Academy, that allegedly taught Scientology techniques.

The school was founded by the Smiths in 2008. The doors have since closed, but some think the teachings were rooted in Scientology. Will and Jada later said though it wasn’t Scientology-spec ific, they used the Study of Technology — method of teaching created by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

“I definitely want to make it clear that the educational institution that we have, the school that Will and I have, is not a Scientology school,” Jada said via E! News.

“It is not a desire of ours to educate children with Scientology, that is not what Will and I want to do. And our school is not, and I repeat, not a Scientology school.”

Whether it was or wasn’t, Will and Jada continue doing things their way — and Jaden and Willow are forging their own paths.