North Country School

North Country School is a small boarding and day school for middle-grade students in Lake Placid, New York, tucked into the Adirondack High Peaks. Enrollment stays under 100, which means class sizes are small and every adult on campus knows every child by first name. The school has no religious affiliation and focuses on grades roughly 4 through 9.

What makes teaching here distinctive is the working farm, the garden, the barn, and the surrounding mountains — they are part of the curriculum, not extracurricular decoration. Faculty teach academics in the morning and often lead afternoon programs in skiing, climbing, horseback riding, animal care, or arts. Students live with faculty in small houses, so teaching and mentoring blur together throughout the day.

North Country School also offers Spanish and an English as an Alternative Language program, which means language teachers and learning-support staff play a central role. Because the student body is so small, individual teachers shape courses, trips, and traditions in ways that would be impossible at a larger school.

The school is financially healthy, with roughly $25 million in net assets and close to $12 million in annual revenue as of 2023. Compensation typically includes on-campus housing, meals during the school term, and retirement benefits — valuable in a resort area where rental housing is tight and expensive.

Openings tend to cluster around the academic year and include classroom teaching, residential life, farm and outdoor program staff, and administrative roles.