Mountain School Admissions
A Letter from our Director of Admissions
If you are reading this, welcome!
I am so glad that you have found TMS.
Whether you are searching for something new to challenge and inspire your high school experience, following your passions for the environment, or longing to connect deeply with other students from around the world, you have found your way to a special place.
I invite you to imagine yourself here. Set on a farm in central Vermont, the Mountain School is a place of intellectual energy, stunning beauty, spontaneous play, and deep reflection. If you are looking for an authentic education among friends who truly want to learn, this program is for you.
What makes us different from other schools is the strength of the relationships built here. Relationships with the land, where you will explore its history, cultivate its potential, and drink in the inspiration of its beauty. Relationships with peers, where you will form lifelong friendships across lines of difference. And relationships with yourself, where you can fully express the incredible person you have always been.
We can’t wait to meet you. We hope you’ll join us.
Lucretia Penfield Director of Admissions, Enrollment, and Financial Aid
This is me with a group of Spring ‘23 students taking a rest at Greenleaf Hut on our hike of Franconia Ridge. One of the reasons I love my job is getting to know students through these types of experiences!
Application and Enrollment Timeline
Fall 2024: School visits and virtual info sessions take place.
September 15, 2024: Application opens for Fall ’25 and Spring ’26.
February 15, 2025: Priority application deadline (including financial aid applications) for Fall ’25 and Spring ’26.
March 7, 2025: Decisions for Fall ’25 and Spring ’26 priority candidates are released.
March 21, 2025: Enrollment decisions are due.
Spring and Summer 2025: Applications may be accepted on a rolling basis, depending on space and available financial aid.
A Note About Support for Health, Wellness, & Academics
Success at the Mountain School requires self-knowledge, proactivity, and communication. We encourage a diverse array of students to apply and are committed to supporting students who have mental health, academic accommodation, or physical health needs.
At the Mountain School, supporting students is central to how we run our program. We do this through a system called Multi Tiered Systems of Support. Student supports range from tailored 1:1 heath, mental health, or academic support to various smaller group settings allowing for deeper support and connecting among faculty and peers. Support needs are monitored by a multidisciplinary faculty team who meet regularly to assess and implement support needs as they come up during the semester. Although we do provide academic support for 504/IEP, health support, and mental health support, it is important to know that our program is designed to build independence and is mainly designed for students who are highly self-motivated and independent by nature.
Our campus contains steep inclines and uneven terrain, and our program requires students to hike, use hand tools, and maneuver loads. Given this, we are unable to support students with extreme mobility limitations. We are always open to discussing what is possible, but we do operate with definite constraints.
Our program relies on students being able to operate with independence and to communicate with adults and with peers. Students with mental health needs may not be able to manage the independence and interdependence necessary to participate in our program. We are always open to discussing what is possible, but we do operate with definite constraints.
In order to apply to TMS, you will be asked to certify that your child meets our Essential Eligibility Criteria, or that you have already discussed the accommodations you need with our team. We have had many students come through our program with IEPs, 504s, complex medical needs, or mobility constraints and be successful. We ask families to be forthright about their child's talents, needs, and limitations; in turn, we will be comprehensive in our consideration of whether and how we can support that student at the Mountain School.
At the Mountain School, our values drive everything we do, and admissions is no exception. Our admission process is rooted in community and interdependence; we want to get to know you and enable you to get to know us.
Nondiscrimination & Enrollment Policies:
The Mountain School admits qualified students of any race, creed, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law, including the Vermont Public Accommodations Act (9 V.S.A. Chapter 139) and the Vermont Fair Employment Practices Act (21 V.S.A. Chapter 5, Subchapter 6), and extends to them all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The Mountain School does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its educational, admissions, financial aid, athletic, and other policies or programs.
As an approved independent school the Mountain School follows these enrollment policies:
1) All applications to the Mountain School shall be made voluntarily.
2) No student shall be denied acceptance for enrollment in the Mountain School on the basis of disability (as defined in Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended), or that the student is eligible for special education or undergoing the comprehensive evaluation process for special education, or on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or any other classification protected by federal or state law.
3) The Mountain School may make acceptance decisions based on considerations including meeting minimum academic or extracurricular activity preparation requirements, demonstrating motivation and capacity to take advantage of the intellectual and creative freedom offered in our program, student and family agreement with the school’s educational philosophy, student willingness to participate in extracurricular programs and activities, and enrollment of other family members.
4) If the number of applicants to the Mountain School exceeds capacity, enrollment decisions shall be based first upon continuing to enroll previously enrolled students and then upon considerations itemized in paragraph three above.
~~~The Mountain School does not accept public tuition dollars from Vermont High Schools.~~~
Questions?
If you have any questions during the application process, we encourage you to consult our FAQ or email us at admissions@mountainschool.org.