North Country School
Lake Placid, New York
4382 Cascade Road Lake Placid, NY 12946
Junior Boarding at North Country School
North Country School (NCS) is a junior boarding and day school for students in grades 4–9, located on the outskirts of Lake Placid in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. For more than 85 years, NCS has offered a holistic, place-based education rooted in experiential learning, where the natural world is an essential part of the curriculum. The school’s 333-acre campus includes a working organic farm and gardens, a private lake, a rock climbing crag, an alpine ski hill, and an extensive trail network—creating a dynamic setting for hands-on, cross-curricular learning.
At North Country School, students are prepared to thrive in a world of growing complexity through student-centered, personalized learning complemented by experiential and place-based education.
What does this look like?
- Students are met where they are and supported in reaching high academic standards at their own pace.
- Learning happens through doing, with cycles of direct experience, reflection, analysis, and experimentation across disciplines.
- Students have “voice and choice” in shaping what, how, when, and where they learn, based on their strengths, needs, and interests.
- Power of Place: The Adirondack setting enhances engagement and deepens learning through meaningful, real-world experiences.
- The program is rooted in progressive education and prepares students to bring the skills they gain at NCS to top secondary schools and beyond.
Community life is central to the NCS experience. Boarding students live in small residential houses alongside faculty houseparents and peers from different grades and genders, creating a family-like environment where shared routines, responsibilities, and traditions foster strong relationships and a sense of belonging.
Guided by values of equity, inclusion, environmental stewardship, and community, North Country School serves students from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Graduates leave with curiosity, resilience, and confidence—well prepared for success in secondary school and in life.
Enrollment
80 Enrolled
Grades Offered
Boarding: Grades 4-9
School Mission
At North Country School & Camp Treetops, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive community that gives children the self-confidence, knowledge, skills, and values to lead fulfilling and productive lives while contributing to a more equitable and sustainable world.
Junior Boarding at North Country School
North Country School (NCS) is a junior boarding and day school for students in grades 4–9, located on the outskirts of Lake Placid in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. For more than 85 years, NCS has offered a holistic, place-based education rooted in experiential learning, where the natural world is an essential part of the curriculum. The school’s 333-acre campus includes a working organic farm and gardens, a private lake, a rock climbing crag, an alpine ski hill, and an extensive trail network—creating a dynamic setting for hands-on, cross-curricular learning.
At North Country School, students are prepared to thrive in a world of growing complexity through student-centered, personalized learning complemented by experiential and place-based education.
What does this look like?
- Students are met where they are and supported in reaching high academic standards at their own pace.
- Learning happens through doing, with cycles of direct experience, reflection, analysis, and experimentation across disciplines.
- Students have “voice and choice” in shaping what, how, when, and where they learn, based on their strengths, needs, and interests.
- Power of Place: The Adirondack setting enhances engagement and deepens learning through meaningful, real-world experiences.
- The program is rooted in progressive education and prepares students to bring the skills they gain at NCS to top secondary schools and beyond.
Community life is central to the NCS experience. Boarding students live in small residential houses alongside faculty houseparents and peers from different grades and genders, creating a family-like environment where shared routines, responsibilities, and traditions foster strong relationships and a sense of belonging.
Guided by values of equity, inclusion, environmental stewardship, and community, North Country School serves students from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Graduates leave with curiosity, resilience, and confidence—well prepared for success in secondary school and in life.
School Facilities
North Country School’s 333-acre campus includes storied academic buildings, a 10,000-square-foot Performing Arts Center, working organic farm and gardens, a private lake, rock climbing crag, alpine ski hill, and extensive trail network. These facilities support hands-on, place-based learning and provide students with daily access to outdoor recreation, creative spaces, and immersive educational experiences.
Academics
NCS offers a rigorous, cross-curricular academic program rooted in experiential, place-based learning. Students use the campus and surrounding Adirondack landscape as a living laboratory—tracking newborn lamb weights in math, studying anatomy at the barn, and writing persuasive essays on environmental issues. With strong learning support, students are met where they are and challenged to grow critical-thinking and communication skills for success beyond NCS.
Athletics
North Country School emphasizes daily movement and outdoor recreation rather than competitive sports. Students stay active through Out-Time, recreational activities, and community work-jobs such as barn chores and trail maintenance. A fall soccer team offers structured play. Located near two-time Olympic host Lake Placid, students experience world-class winter sports and explore activities like skiing, snowboarding, and ski jumping through NYSEF.
Arts
At NCS, “Art Every Day” is a way of life. Students take daily art classes in visual and performing arts, design and build, and music. Offerings include ceramics, fiber arts, photography, theater, wood shop, and film. Using natural materials, including wool from the school’s own sheep, students experience sustainability while developing creativity, craftsmanship, and confidence in a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center.
Signature Program(s)
NCS’s signature programs integrate the arts, outdoor education, and farm and garden into cross-curricular learning. Students hike, climb, paddle, care for animals, grow food, and create art as part of daily life. These hands-on experiences build responsibility, resilience, creativity, and environmental stewardship while strengthening students’ connection to their community and the natural world.
Summer Programs
North Country School shares its campus with Camp Treetops, a seven-week summer camp for children ages 8–14. Since 1921, Treetops has offered an unplugged, child-centered experience focused on independence, creativity, community, and connection to nature. Campers choose their own activities, live simply, complete daily work-jobs, and build lasting friendships through shared adventures outdoors.
