A High School Semester and Summer Term in The Bahamas.
Immersive. By Nature.
Students find themselves in nature doing everything from collecting data to creating environmental art.
Located in Eleuthera, The Bahamas, The Island School is an ecosystem of programs dedicated to conservation and environmental sustainability. The Island School provides experiential, research-rich educational programs for students from pre-K to Ph.D., as well as for visiting groups, school educators and administrators, and local Bahamian communities.
Is there any better way to learn than by doing?
Here on Eleuthera, our campus is surrounded by an exceptional marine ecosystem. The Island School Semester or Summer Term offers an active, hands-on, immersive academic experience — unlike any other. With our island campus and the surrounding ocean as a laboratory, you’ll study, conduct research, and live in a learning community dedicated to a more environmentally responsible and sustainable future.
You’ll gain an understanding of native, tropical ecosystems — by experiencing them firsthand. You’ll study the environment — in the environment — working alongside professional scientists, engineers, educators, and researchers. You’ll learn about the histories of The Bahamas — through interactions with neighboring community members and shared stories from local fishers and residents, where you’ll connect with your environment, as your academic experience takes the form of real work.
At The Island School, you’ll learn about yourself and the world in a classroom unlike any other. Challenge yourself. Immerse yourself. Realize your potential to become a changemaker in the world.
DID YOU KNOW?
ABOUT THE ISLAND SCHOOL
Immerse Yourself in a Life-Changing, Environment-Changing Experience
“I never felt like I had to guess how my coursework connected to real life because my coursework was about real life, it was intentional. However, that didn’t make it easier, in some ways it was harder. In reality, there is never one right answer to a problem, and that was the basis of my classes”
SADIQAH WHITTINGTON S21 SEMESTER STUDENT
The Island School Semester and Summer Term are designed for high school sophomores and juniors. Rising seniors are also eligible for Summer Term. The programs are place-based and experiential, exposing students to both the natural and cultural landscape of South Eleuthera in The Bahamas.
Whether you choose the 100-day Semester or 6-week Summer Term, you’ll learn what it means to live well in a place and how you can become a leader in helping to drive positive change.
One Community, Many Connections
The Island School is a single organization made up of several interconnected programs, ranging from pre-K through Ph.D. The high school Semester and Summer Term, Deep Creek Lab Schools, Visiting Programs, and the Cape Eleuthera Institute, all make up our edu-system. You’ll work and learn side by side with others across our community — from students and educators, to researchers and scientists — united in a common purpose to grow together as intentional leaders and responsible stewards of our environment.
Cape Eleuthera Institute
Visiting Programs
Deep Creek Lab Schools
The Bahamas is an archipelago of nearly 700 limestone islands and cays. Around 30 of which are inhabited.
Our Semester students spend nearly one-third of their academic hours immersed in research.
High School Semester & Summer Term
Learn Outside the Walls of the Classroom
As you study and practice the skills necessary for field research alongside scientists at the Cape Eleuthera Insitute, you’ll connect intimately with your environment, and do real work to solve realworld problems. Whether you are trekking through the mangroves, looking through your mask at the magical world beneath the sea, or exploring island settlements with your classmates and local hosts, you’ll see firsthand the challenges faced by Eleuthera’s local ecosystems. You’ll build an affinity for the natural and cultural environment and learn what it means to become an environmental steward and informed community member.
Disconnect to Reconnect
Electronic connection to people and places outside our immediate community, detracts from the all-in ethos of being at The Island School. Cellphones and social media are replaced with meaningful discussions, peer-bonding activities, and more. We disconnect from cell phones and wifi with the thought that building connections with the environment and the people in our community are paramount to the success of our community and deep learning. While students are not regularly connected -- there are many other ways in which families hear from, and about, their students throughout the program.
Our Campus Home
ELEMENTARY LEARNING CENTER
The Elementary Learning Center provides a stimulating, hands-on learning environment for children aged 3 to 10 years.
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Our green campus allows all in our community to live what we teach and learn. Our buildings and grounds incorporate systems and design principles that minimize our ecological footprint through the conservation of collected resources like energy, water, and waste. Our campus living areas are built using materials that are Green Certified or natural to The Bahamas. At The Island School, we are constantly innovating to improve our sustainable systems on campus.
STUDENT DORMS
Semester and Summer Term students live on campus in openbay dormitories. Each residence is divided into two wings with bunkbeds and its own bathroom facilities, separated by a common room. Students learn to live together in a shared, communal environment.
THE FARM & ORCHARD
The farm and orchard provide our dining hall with fruits and vegetables. The farm also includes chickens and pigs that provide additional sources of food and contribute to a closedloop food system. By doing fieldwork on the farm and eating fresh food, students learn to lead a healthy, ecofriendly life.
CAPE ELEUTHERA
DINING HALL
Meals are served in our dining hall three times a day, buffet style. All seating for meals is openair, where students, teachers, and staff can enjoy conversation together. We make every effort to serve wholesome, nutritious meals that feature locally grown produce and imported organic bulk foods, and accommodate varied dietary needs.
FACULTY HOUSING
Our campus has eight staff apartments, which sit outside the main circle on campus, just steps away from the student dormitories. Staff are readily available should students need adult assistance.
CAPE ELEUTHERA INSTITUTE (CEI)
The Cape Eleuthera Institute is our campus hub for environmental and conservation research. CEI scientists and engineers work hand in hand with students and teachers to conduct meaningful research that addresses the most pressing environmental issues facing our oceans and island habitats.
DEEP CREEK LAB SCHOOLS
Connecting with our community, and learning from one another, is a critical component of an Island School education. Time spent with Deep Creek Lab School students allows high school students to develop their leadership, empathy, and communication skills.
AQUAPONICS GROWBEDS
The leafy greens served in our dining hall, as well as occasional meals featuring fish, come from our aquaponics system, an Earth-friendly way to grow fresh fruits and vegetables. In this closed-loop system, growing fish and vegetables uses nine times less water than conventional farming.
WET LABS
Cape Eleuthera Institute offers fully equipped lab facilities, including a wet lab area to conduct experiments in a controlled environment. The wet lab features a fully redundant, flow-through seawater system, as well as a recirculating freshwater system. All tanks have access to the wet lab air system for oxygenation.
DRY LABS
Semester and Summer Term students also make use of the Cape Eleuthera Institute dry labs for research and experimentation. The dry laboratories are located adjacent to our wet lab and are equipped with benches, microscopes, fresh water, refrigerators, and freezers.
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
Learning About— and From—the Environment
At The Island School, our unique island environment serves as our classroom and informs our educational model. We are an ecosystem of education-based programs operating at the forefront of educational reform and experiential learning.
All programs are enriched by projects and real work done collaboratively across the organization. Programs are designed to connect students intimately with their environment through on-going work in sustainable development and environmental stewardship. There is no such thing as an ‘academic exercise,’ as all academic work has real-world value beyond the educational experience.
Engage in Dynamic Research
All visitors to our campus have the opportunity to collaborate with Cape Eleuthera Institute scientists on research projects helping to advance our knowledge of natural systems of Eleuthera. Semester students take a semester-long research course and will assist in data collection, conduct surveys, and develop hypotheses. You’ll work side by side with world-class scientists, conducting substantive research that’s truly making a difference in the world. Summer Term students also have the opportunity to observe and engage with ongoing research happening on our campus.
“I was enthralled by field days and classroom session. I loved how advanced the class was because it made us feel like real researchers! It was incredible. Learning felt purposeful because we could see and understand the impact of the topics we studied.”
GRAY GOLDBERG, S24 SEMESTER STUDENT
A Differentiator
When “The Island School” appears on a prospective student’s college or job application — it gets noticed. More importantly, alumni write about developing research skills, real-world learning experience, and a strong sense of independence and self-reliance. They are experienced, they are confident, and they are ready to take on the academic and personal challenges that await whether they plan to attend college, take a gap year, or enter the workforce.
Nearly all our alumni write about their Semester or Summer Term experience in their college or job application. They receive recommendation letters from our teachers and staff. Opportunity abounds following an Island School experience. It shows you stepped up. It will give you the confidence to stand out.
DID YOU KNOW?
Students receive a detailed transcript from their Island School program, and our credits can transfer to both independent and public schools.
“Pushing my limits in unfamiliar terrain tested my endurance and adaptability. Additionally, balancing rigorous academics with hands-on fieldwork required time management and mental stamina.”
JAHDAYA
FRANKLYN ST24, SUMMER TERM STUDENT
Semester and Summer Term alumni have gone on to conduct impactful research, found non-profits and businesses, and implement sustainability programs in their schools and communities — among many other accomplishments.
LEARN SUSTAINABILITY
A Campus Surrounded by Blue and Immersed in Green
Located on Cape Eleuthera, the Island School campus has easy access to the deep waters of the Exuma sound and the shallow Bahamas banks.
All students learn from our unique ecosystems to develop a better understanding of the natural environment and a stronger sense of place. But while our surroundings may shade blue, our sustainable campus is undeniably “green,” allowing our students, educators, and scientists to live what they teach and learn. Our buildings and grounds have all been designed with sustainable systems that minimize our ecological footprint, while maximizing the use of our valuable resources.
With innovative designs — from solar energy and wind turbines, to water-collection cisterns and waste-to-energy processes — we hope to foster awareness in others, as we serve as a model for more intelligent green design in The Bahamas and other coastal communities around the globe.
World-Class Researchers Creating a Sea of Change
The Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) is our dedicated center for research and innovation at The Island School. CEI scientists are leaders in their field, and the opportunities to engage in high-level research are exciting and numerous. On our campus, students have the opportunity to contribute to their work, which often times ends up in scientific journals, the media, and other major local and global publications.
“The Island School has taught me to live well in a place. It has taught me about sustainability, deep connections, and how to make the most out of everything. I carry it with me everyday in my home life now.”
QUINN MALEY F23, SEMESTER STUDENT
DID YOU KNOW?
The Cape Eleuthera Institute has the most comprehensive range of marine research facilities in The Bahamas.
Plants in aquaponics grow three times faster, and growing fish & vegetables in aquaponics uses up to nine times less water than conventional farming methods.
Mycology, the study of fungi, is also a way to repurpose materials as fungi grows in and decomposes a range of materials.
Coastal
The seas surrounding the 700 islands, cays, and islets that form The Bahamas create a mosaic of interconnected coastal habitats, ready to be explored.
Coral Reefs
Coral reefs, known as the “rainforest of the sea,” support 25% of all marine species, but there are coral species that are endangered and in need of restoration.
Open Ocean
The Island School’s CEI researchers are studying the behavior and interactions of animal species that live in our nearby open ocean habitats.
Ocean & Climate Science
Our research introduces a physical science component to understand how the ocean works and the role of the atmosphere in oceanography and biogeochemical processes.
Food Security
Our food security program is establishing working models that demonstrate viable and sustainable methods of planting, production, and harvesting.
Resource Management
Our innovations teams are helping to discover real sustainable solutions, not through theoretical abstraction but through practical application and experimentation.
“The Island School showed me how important a strong community can be. It taught me that a tight-knit community can change the world.”
OLIVIA “BIV” MCNAMARA, S24 SEMESTER STUDENT
SEMESTER
The Island School Semester
The Island School Semester is a 100-day fall or spring semester designed for high school sophomores and juniors. Students from around the world join our Semester to immerse themselves in the wondrous natural and cultural landscape of South Eleuthera.
Not Your Ordinary Academic Experience
The Semester offers an engaging educational journey that takes you away from the traditional high school curriculum and invites you to actively confront real-world challenges.
Instead of learning within the confines of four walls, your classes will have you engage with the people and environment of The Bahamas. While students still take core courses to stay on track for graduation, a Semester at The Island School looks different. All courses have a field component to them, focusing on the hands-on application of knowledge.
Why is that? Besides being a far more engaging and interesting way to learn, we’ve found that students build a greater understanding of content and applied skills by doing real work. Gaining exposure to their local environment and seeing firsthand the challenges these ecosystems are facing, students build an affinity for their natural surroundings. They learn to become advocates for the environment. They feel empowered to make a difference in their world.
Through class discussions, research, and experiential opportunities, students engage in academic classes six days per week.
Students present their semester-long research projects in a culminating research symposium open to community stakeholders, staff, and local government officials.
SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS
Employ your acquired mathematical analysis skills to better understand our campus systems.
S CIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Apply concepts from multiple disciplines to fieldbased projects addressing environmental challenges.
An Immersive Study
Students step away from assessment by tests and towards hands-on project-based learning and discovery.
COMMUNITY & CULTURE
Exposure to cross-cultural dialogue, anthropological frameworks, and community engagement inform a global perspective.
While content may vary each Semester, students cover core-curricular skills in the following courses to meet the needs of their sending school.
ART & MOVEMENT
Make connections between art, place, and culture to develop a sense of place.
CREATIVE WRITING & STORYTELLING
Use storytelling as a powerful tool for sharing knowledge, forging connections, and finding meaning.
ELEMENTS OF ECOLOGY
Use scuba diving and snorkeling to explore the waters and near-shore ecosystems surrounding Cape Eleuthera.
The Island School Summer Term
The Island School Summer Term is a condensed, 6-week academic and immersive program designed for high school rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The Summer Term is a highly experiential program, connecting students to the unique culture and natural surroundings of the island of Eleuthera.
Eleuthera as Your Classroom
Our entire program is place-based and experiential, intentionally immersing students in both the natural and cultural landscape of South Eleuthera as they explore our central question of “how do we live well in a place?”
You’ll develop an awareness of, and appreciation for, the place in which you are spending your summer. You’ll explore tropical marine ecosystems through scuba and snorkeling, investigate how a community can live sustainably, and learn about tourism and development in small island developing states. You’ll identify species and investigate how these species function as an ecosystem. You’ll learn about fisheries management issues and have the opportunity to read, hear, and synthesize different viewpoints on human’s role in caring for these ecosystems.
Wherever your explorations take you, you’ll gain a greater understanding of, and admiration for, the world around you, and you’ll leave inspired to make your home community more sustainable, too.
By the end of the summer, you can acquire your PADI Open Water Diver certification and log up to 3 additional dives.
DID YOU KNOW?
As part of the morning exercise program, you’ll work toward a culminating exercise that involves a roughly combined 10K course of running and swimming.
A Unique Educational Model
Throughout the Summer Term program, students engage in community building, personal growth, scientific research, physical and outdoor education, cultural and environmental immersion, and three core academic courses:
Marine Ecology
Using scuba diving and snorkeling as means to spark curiosity, students develop an awareness of—and an appreciation for—tropical marine ecosystems.
Sustainable Systems
The Sustainable Systems course introduces students to a framework for sustainability centered around three pillars: environment, society, and economy. Students are given the opportunity to assess the world around them and create meaningful change.
Tourism & Development
The Tourism and Development course takes place over six days of road-tripping and camping throughout the island of Eleuthera— known colloquially as the Down Island Trip (DIT). Students visit significant cultural and historical sites, and the impacts that the tourism industry has on each site.
Through collaborative and independent learning spaces, students explore these topics and begin to transfer their new skills, knowledge, and experiences to their day-to-day lives. These academic courses are preparing students for their return home, where they have the opportunity to continue to be change-makers and leaders in their own communities and beyond.
“Courses at The Island School are not set in stone — we were urged to question the questions, accept that all of our questions may not have answers from our teachers, and look beyond what we already know.”
TESS GILMARTIN ST21, SUMMER TERM STUDENT
OUR DAY
A Day in The Life of an Island School Student
Here, no day is ever the same. Every day is filled with exciting explorations and discoveries, whether on our sustainable campus, in the rich ecosystems of our island, or beneath the blue waters of the surrounding sea.
6:30am
MORNING CIRCLE
Led by student leaders, students participate in announcements and sing the Bahamian National Anthem, a ritual that brings our community together and honors our host country.
7:50am
PERSONAL SPACE
Students tidy up their dorm space and get ready for the day.
6:35am
MORNING EXERCISE
Students train for a culminating endurance event through exercises including running, swimming, and calistenics.
8:15am
BREAKFAST
Students and staff share meals and the responsibility of doing dishes at three mealtimes each week.
6:15am
WAKE UP
Wake up and get ready for morning exercise, commonly known as AMX.
7:30am
CHORES
Students work alongside staff to take care of our campus and community through daily chores including cleaning classroom spaces, feeding the tilapia, or maintaining the farm and resource center.
9:15am
CLASS BEGINS
Interactions with local conch fishermen spark discussion about the complexities of subsistence fishing and local policies.
10:15am
REFLECTION & DISCUSSION
Students revisit topics from previous lessons to make meaningful connections to deepen understanding and sense of place.
2:15pm
SCIENTIFIC LEARNING
Students head out into the field to participate in hands-on research and exploration with scientists.
7:15pm
STUDY HOURS
Time is provided each night for students to attend to their assignments. Faculty are readily available to meet with students as needed, and each student gets a 20-minute phone call home every week.
12:15pm
LUNCH
The dining hall is full of learners, leaders, and educators, all living within our school community.
4:30pm
DOWN TIME
Students relax with friends after a busy day, explore the Cape on bikes, or simply catch up on work or rest.
9:30pm
CHECK-IN & LIGHTS OUT
Students are expected to check in to the dormitory with faculty. In order to ensure that students are well rested, a 10:00 PM lights-out rule is enforced every night.
1:15pm
MARINE ECOLOGY
Students have discussions in the field as they work on their fish identification skills in order to better understand their environment.
5:55pm
DINNER CIRCLE & DINNER
Led by the student leaders again, dinner circle includes announcements and a reflection on the day.
A WEEKEND IN THE LIFE
Typically, you’ll have class on Saturday, as it’s part of the academic week. Once classes are wrapped up for the week, you are free to unwind and enjoy the relaxed and recreational side of our beautiful island home. From swimming, beach volleyball, and exploring the Cape, to pizza parties, games, and outdoor movies, whatever you enjoy, you’ll find plenty of activities that make for memorable weekends.
EXPEDITION HIGHLIGHTS
SOLO WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE
Students participate in a 40 to 48-hour solo experience, where they camp alone and engage in an intentional moment for reflection as they near the end of their term. The solo is often the most powerful experience of a student’s time on Eleuthera.
DOWN ISLAND TRIP
The Down Island Trip will expose you to the wider geography and culture of Eleuthera. This multi-day excursion allows groups of students to explore the island settlements, learn about tourism and development, explore geological features, and bond by a campfire.
EXERCISE & EXPEDITIONS
An Active Education
To the Max
Our physical and outdoor education programs are integral to The Island School experience. These activities will challenge you, as you develop strength, perseverance, and confidence.
Discover the Island as Your Classroom
Our outdoor education programs are not only an opportunity to explore the surrounding island habitats, but serve as an extension of the classroom, where academic lessons in ecology and sustainability come to life.
MORNING EXERCISE
Five mornings each week, you’ll gather with other students and staff for at least one hour, engaging in a variety of workouts such as swimming, running, and calisthetics.
SCUBA
The scuba program provides you with an opportunity to explore the beautiful underwater environment that surrounds Eleuthera. Students acquire the PADI Open Water Diver certification and log approximately three to five dives. Scuba also deepens your academic experience as you explore coursework up close, under the sea.
SEA KAYAKING
Semester students take to the water to learn basic paddling and wet exit skills. Twice each Semester, you’ll embark on single or multi-day kayaking and camping expeditions around the island and leave no trace camping.
DID YOU KNOW?
Each Semester or Summer Term, students work towards a culminating endurance event which challenges student physically and mentally and brings the whole community together in support. Bahamians consider north as “down” because the currents run south to north, hence the name “Down Island” when traveling north on Eleuthera.
“My favorite part about expeditions was meals; the way everyone would come together after a long day and just chat and become so much closer.”
GABBY SCHWARTZ S21, SEMESTER STUDENT
25% of students identify as Black, Asian, Latinx, Middle Eastern or Pacific Islander
Average class represents 50+ different schools
Average class represents 17+ U.S. states and 3 different countries
Our students come from 40% public schools and 60% private or independent schools
1 in 4 students receives tuition assistance
We offer payment plans to all families
Our Admissions Team will be your first point of contact. We are here to answer all your questions and to help guide you through each step of the admissions process.
Throughout the admission season, we host virtual and in-person information sessions with our staff and alumni families. Check our events calendar online and find a session for you and your family to learn more.
A One-of-aKind Academic Experience
Tuition Assistance
We are committed to making an opportunity at The Island School Semester or Summer Term a reality for students. To learn more about our tuition assistance program, visit islandschool.org/tuition-affordability or contact admissions@islandschool.org.
Why The Island School?
By investing in a Semester or Summer Term at The Island School; you gift an experience to last a lifetime.
For specific program dates, access to the application for tuition assistance, and to begin your Island School journey, please visit our website.
