TMS is located in Vershire, VT. Our campus is 430 acres of forest, farmlands, academic buildings & dorms.

Vershire is a tiny town in central Vermont. There are miles of uninterrupted forest stretching in every direction, and it is a 30 minute drive to Hanover, NH (the closest sizable town).

You can read more about getting to TMS on our Contact & Visit page.

Fall ‘24

August 24 = Opening Day

Oct 11-Oct 15 = Fall Break

Nov 23-Dec 3 = Thanksgiving Break

December 21 = Closing Day

Spring ‘25

February 1 = Opening Day

March 15 – April 1 = Spring Break

May 31 = Closing Day

Yes, we offer financial aid based on a family’s financial need. These are direct grants that do not need to be repaid. We do not offer merit-based scholarships because all students accepted to the Mountain School are academically qualified, or work-study because Commons Work will already be a part of your experience.

Learn more about the financial aid here.

Classes are in the morning after 8:00 breakfast and in the late afternoon before supper.

An afternoon session of either commons work, outdoor program, or science hike happens after lunch.

There is study time and free time in the evening. View a sample schedule here.

There is wireless internet in the academic building, and in the dorms.

Many students bring laptops, and the school has some available for loan if you do not have one of your own.

You will not have access to your phone while at the Mountain School.

We have 5 small dorms (some single-gender, some all-gender) that house seven to twelve students: Miles, Tobold, Derby, Underwood, and Conard. Each dorm has dorm faculty who live within the dorm and interact regularly with the students.

On Friday evenings, we have a “Pause” to take stock of the week so far and recenter ourselves, followed by faculty-led activities.

On Saturdays there may be farm work, especially in early fall or late spring.

There are typically faculty-led excursions both on and off campus that students can opt into, such as a hiking trip in the White Mountains or a museum trip to see an exhibition in Hanover.

Otherwise, students can hang out, relax, go for a hike, play music, etc. Saturday nights are typically student-planned and have included talent shows, bonfires, improvisational theater, dances, movie nights – basically whatever the group decides. On Sundays we have a sleep-in, and some students volunteer to cook brunch with chefs for the school.

Yes. The Mountain School does not have any closed weekends. You are welcome to go away on weekends or to host a friend or family member.

Most students tend to stay on campus during the weekends.

The Mountain School will help you get to know yourself better—your gifts, interests, and passions—so that you understand which colleges you want to apply to. The program can also help distinguish you from other college applicants.

In the fall, an experienced college counselor talks with students as a group and with seniors individually. In the spring, you will have access to a variety of workshops led by faculty on the admissions process as a whole, essay writing, and financial aid.

Many Mountain School alums ask TMS teachers to write a college recommendation for them.

Honors English, Honors Environmental Studies, and TMS Seminar are required.

You may choose three more classes from the following list:

1. Languages: French, Spanish, Mandarin

2. Math: Algebra II-BC Calc

3. Sciences: Physics, Chemistry

4. Electives: Art, Culinary Studies, Environmental Humanities, AP US History

All of our classes are Honors and we offer several A.P. courses: AP French & Spanish, AP US History, AP AB or BC Calculus.

Mountain School students often take A.P. exams in the following subjects: English, U.S. History, Spanish, French and Calculus. Some students choose to do extra prep and take the AP Environmental Science Exam.

The work is challenging and meaningful.

Classes are designed to be interesting and relevant to your life. There is a considerable amount of reading and writing. The teachers strive to make the workload manageable and to help the students succeed.

The best way to know how the workload will compare to your current school is to ask any other students who attended, if applicable.

All Mountain School classes will count for credit (mostly Honors and AP credit) at your school. Math, science, history, and language courses here are designed to keep you up to date (or even ahead) of your classes at home. You will need to plan ahead to make sure you have the right course sequence and we are happy to help with this.

You can take the PSAT, SAT and ACT at the Mountain School. Click here to learn more.

We have historically been and continue to be a majority-white institution. We actively seek to be as racially diverse as possible. Usually 30% of our student body identifies as something other than white.

Many students here are athletes and want to stay conditioned for their sport.

We don’t have official athletic teams, but students often organize basketball or frisbee games, do pull-ups in the dorm, run on our trail network, etc. Disciplined athletes can stay fit here, by running on roads and trails, lifting and carrying during farm work or woods crew, or working out in our on campus gym.

Our graduates have gone on to play sports in college and professionally.

Yes, definitely bring it! The Mountain School attracts a lot of musicians. There are plenty of opportunities to play music alone or in groups.

We have a grand piano on campus in the dining hall.

Mountain School students are not all outdoorsy. Many Mountain School graduates come to the school with minimal experience outside, and they thrive.

What’s important is to be interested in learning, open to new challenges and experiences, and willing to allow yourself to be known by the group.

We have a wide variety of gear that you can borrow to be comfortable and safe in the outdoors, ranging from a day pack, to waterbottles, to cross country ski gear, to fleece long underwear.

The Mountain School is part of the Semester Schools Network, a group of schools offering semester-long educational opportunities. We recommend taking a look at some of the other programs if you are interested in taking a semester away but our programming doesn’t resonate with you.