Learn by doing.
Grow through belonging.
Lead for the common good.

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A semester at the Mountain School provides 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade students with the experience of working together on a farm, exploring systems and critical thinking through courses, and participating in programs on forestry and natural history.

Students also have the opportunity to live in a low-tech environment and focus on their in-person experience. Each semester balances independence and self-reliance with the work and joy of building an interdependent community of peers.

An outdoor classroom with children sitting at a rustic wooden table, listening to a woman teaching about plants at a whiteboard under a canopy, with lush green trees and plants surrounding the area.
Two people sitting at a wooden table, working on papers with mugs in front of them. Behind them, a brick wall with a map and various notices or posters.

Farm. Food. Forest. Future.

Farm

Experience hands‑on farm work that fosters community, interdependence, and real‑world skills in sustainable agriculture.

Food

Dive into our Food Systems course to master sustainable production and distribution methods, gain culinary skills from sautéing to fermenting, and tackle global food challenges.

Forest

Join woods crew to master forestry practices — from splitting logs and cutting firewood to felling trees —and develop essential outdoor skills like knot‑tying, stove operation, and compass navigation.

Future

Equip yourself with the practical experience and intellectual rigor needed to become a future-ready leader in sustainable solutions.

A rural driveway next to a house with a gravel surface and puddles, leading towards a green landscape with a pink and blue sunset sky, a large tree on the right, and parked cars in the distance.

The Mountain School can take you where you want to go.

Escape the daily grind—trade your tech for time in nature, tackle challenging courses that reignite your love of learning, and connect with peers passionate about systems thinking and problem solving.

Whether you’re reading the forest, farming the land, mastering outdoor engineering, leading a nonprofit, or crafting poetry, the Mountain School equips you with the skills to pursue any path.

Two smiling people holding freshly harvested root vegetables outdoors on a cloudy day, with a farm background.
A woman with black hair and a big smile standing in the snow with her arms outstretched, wearing a gray sweater and plaid pajama pants, while a boy in a yellow jacket and black pants with a sled walks in the background in a snowy landscape with trees.
A woman in a white medical coat with a name tag, standing inside a modern building with glass and wood accents, smiling at the camera.
Young lamb standing among adult sheep and lambs in a barn, viewed through a gap in a wooden fence.
  • A rural dirt road curves through green fields with trees under a partly cloudy sky with patches of blue.

    “The Mountain School set me on a different track. I left the semester with greater self-awareness, ability to reflect, and confidence to navigate complex questions. 

    We were extended a very high degree of independence and trust for ourselves and those around us, and everyone treated everyone else like we were all on the same team. I have worked on a lot of teams and for some big brands, and these two things stand out against anywhere I've ever been.

    Now factor in that it was with a group of high school juniors, and there's really nothing like it.”

    -Jared Liu, S’94

    Assistant Dean of Admissions, Yale University

  • A lush green field with tall grass, surrounded by trees and rolling hills under a partly cloudy blue sky.

    “The Mountain School challenged me, engaged me, and allowed me to grow. I learned probably the most important skill of all while there, which is how to live with others. The extent to which I discovered myself at The Mountain School cannot be put into words.”

    -Madeleine Ford, F’23

  • A grassy field with trees in fall foliage and a partly cloudy sky.

    “The Mountain School was easily one of the most transformative experiences I had while in high school. Not only did I get to know a place and the people who make it, but I learned so much about myself and what I need to thrive in an environment in the process. While my time there may have only been a semester, the relationships I built and the lessons I learned will last a lifetime.”

    -Elsa Aslanian, F’22

  • Two wooden Adirondack chairs facing a scenic mountain landscape with colorful fall foliage and a partly cloudy sky.

    “The Mountain School was unexpected for me, and all told was the most positive and transformative experience of my high school years. There, I found an engaged, thoughtful, reflective community of warmth and joy, with excited, brilliant faculty and genuine students. I was not someone you’d describe as “outdoorsy,” that’s not why I applied.

    The community at the Mountain School allowed me to be my true self and they embraced every part of me. I emerged with a clearer sense of what I wanted for my future, having laid the stones for a kinder, warmer life for myself.”

    - Katy Nowiszewski, F’05

    Sr. Assoc. Director of College Counseling and Director of Student Life, The Nightingale-Bamford School