White Mountain is a school that is always changing, yet we are deeply rooted in our 120 year history. The school was founded in 1886, with its modern history beginning when it moved from Concord, NH to Bethlehem in 1936. The purpose of the move was to inspire students, surrounded by the majesty of the White Mountains, “to experience things greater than themselves.” The School maintains its affiliation with the Episcopal Church; however, we welcome students from diverse backgrounds and all religious traditions.

We help teens discover who they are, how they contribute to their communities and how they become responsible citizens of a changing planet, all the while preparing for rigorous college studies. We live and teach the three-part ecology of self, community, and Earth throughout all that we do. This awareness of being part of something larger than oneself – a tightly knit learning community, a team, a town, a mountain range, a planet – helps students to form perspective and to begin asking the "big questions."

It is the mission of The White Mountain School to prepare young people for rigorous college studies and for life beyond formal academics by helping them learn who they are, how they contribute to their communities, and how they can become responsible citizens of the changing planet.

Our academic program is challenging, with students backed by the constant support of a caring faculty, determined to help students achieve their best. We believe that there is more to education than memorization and "teaching to a test." Our classrooms are discussion-based. Grades are based upon a student's ability to think, not simply to memorize. (Read more about Learning Outcomes.) We write across the curriculum. Because of our education strategies, WMS students are accepted at a wide range of colleges. No matter how competitive the colleges they attend, we constantly hear from our graduates how well-prepared they are to succeed in college.

We embrace the outdoors both as a classroom and a playground, where we learn to respect the natural world on the summits, rivers, streams and trails of the White Mountains, including more than 600,000 acres of national forest that begins right outside our doors.

Our residential life and international/domestic community service programs are just two of the ways in which students discover who they are as individuals and how they contribute to their communities.

Sometimes, in the search for self, students embark on a spiritual journey, asking themselves the “big questions” of life. We don't have the answers, but we're always willing to help them ask the questions and find the answers within themselves.

We are more than a school. We are a community of people who care about each other — a place where everybody matters, a place with no cliques, and a place where people can simply be themselves and be valued for who they are.