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About Us

Academic Excellence

  • NATIONALLY HONORED: In the past two years alone, Vail Mountain School has produced several National Merit Scholars based on their outstanding test scores and college-level coursework.
  • DATA DRIVEN RESULTS: At VMS, we use multiple metrics and assessments to maximize student learning across all school levels. We are proud to have been named to the 2024 AP School Honor Roll, Platinum Status. Our AP students can choose between 14 different AP courses, and demonstrate an extraordinary average passing rate of 96% on core AP exams, far higher than the Colorado state average of 70%. Less than 6% of VMS grads transfer colleges before graduation, as compared to 13% nationally. Students regularly earn top honors in the Colorado Science Fair and the Steadman Philippon Research Institute’s Vail Scientific Summit, and several have won accolades in Eagle County’s Ungoverned Children writing competition.
  • CURRICULUM CHOICE: We have the flexibility to adopt new curricula based on the latest research and science-backed best practices.

 

Commitment to Accessibility

  • SCHOLARSHIPS: VMS has a variety of need and merit-based scholarships, including the new Mountain Locals, Rising Leaders, and Fruscione Scholarships in addition to our Taft Conlin and Imperi Scholarships.
  • FLEXIBLE TUITION: Awards are based on each family’s unique financial picture. One in four students receives Tuition Assistance, with over $1.5 million distributed annually. Unless there is a significant change in a family’s financial position, awards are predicted to remain similar from year to year.
  • EASE OF ACCESS: Daily bus transportation from Eagle ensures convenient travel to our campus.

Leader in Outdoor Education

  • INTENTIONAL OUTDOOR EDUCATION: Outdoor experiences promote reflection, foster self-confidence, and build a growth mindset, responsibility, grit, and a global perspective. Students track their growth annually in reflection journals.

  • GUIDED COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT: From the 3rd Grade Character Counts Sleepover to overnight Hut Trips in 4th through 12th Grades, VMS increasingly challenges students to grow their independence, confidence, and leadership. science-backed best practices.

 

Commitment to Accessibility

  • PERSONALIZED COLLEGE COUNSELING: With the smallest counselor-to-student ratio in Eagle County, programming begins in 9th grade and is led by counselors with 50 years of combined experience. We guide students and parents to find the right school academically, socially, and financially.
  • IMPRESSIVE COLLEGE PLACEMENT: 100% of our graduates are accepted into 4-year degree colleges or universities. In the past five years, seniors at VMS have enrolled at a wide variety of schools from Harvard, Duke, Stanford, Middlebury, and Williams to Dartmouth, University of Michigan, Tufts, USC, and the United States Naval Academy.

 

Uniquely Vail Mountain School 

ACADEMIC SYMPOSIUM/SENIOR PROJECTS: Seniors’ inquiry-based passion projects culminate at the Academic Symposium. Presenting academically sophisticated, experiential projects that highlight the application of new knowledge is the capstone of the VMS education.

K-12 COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS: From Kinder-Senior buddies to intermixed lunch tables, our community ethos for role modeling across the community enriches every K-12 student.

INTEGRATION OF ARTS: At VMS, theatre, music, and art are essential components of education, not extracurricular activities. We recognize the profound impact these subjects have on students’ critical thinking, creativity, and long-term success.

STUDENT-LED HONOR COUNCILS: At VMS, the Honor Council plays a pivotal role in fostering ethical leadership and mutual respect among students.

CREATING TECH-SAVVY LEADERS: Upper School students serve on our AI Literacy Committee, actively shaping our school’s approach to Artificial Intelligence in education. Coding and technological literacy, integral to our students’ future success, begin in Kindergarten and advance through 12th grade.

ATHLETICS: VMS offers competitive teams in 10 different sports for boys and girls in both middle and upper school with multiple recent league championships in both divisions. Our “all are welcome” athletics philosophy encourages all students to find their sport.

WINTER ATHLETE PROGRAM: VMS accommodates competitive winter snow sports athletes in lower, middle, and upper school divisions through our partnership with Ski and Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV).

Our Teachers

To achieve our Mission, faculty at VMS are singularly focused on one thing--your child. They bring their passions into the classroom and develop deep, caring relationships that inspire a true love of learning. Our teachers pay close attention to the social, emotional and academic needs of each individual, adapting curricula and lessons that fuel the fire more than fill the bucket.  Put simply, a good school knows your child by name, a great school knows your child by heart.

 

Our Curriculum

VMS is the only independent K-12 school in Eagle and Summit Counties and we embrace the freedom this provides. Our rigorous, globally inspired, college preparatory curriculum readies students for challenges both in and out of the classroom. The experience is enriched by athletics, independent projects, service learning, in-depth Intraterm classes, winter hut trips, outdoor education, and Ski Days. We believe teachable moments are everywhere and we are bound neither by belief nor government mandate to teach in only one way. One size does not fit all, one size fits one.

 

Our Location

Our community works and plays together, sharing a love for the active mountain lifestyle that defines us and that has converted countless visitors into lifelong residents. Our location is truly unique, enabling us to provide an education that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Outside our front door lies the world famous Vail ski resort. Just steps from our back door are trails that lead to majestic 13,000 foot peaks, mountain meadows filled with wildflowers, pristine waterfalls, and diverse ecosystems. Interstate 70 provides quick access to the learning opportunities of Denver and Boulder and the sublime desert playgrounds and rivers to the west. 

 

Our Community

Operating on the principle that emotional stability is a requisite for academic success, students start each day at VMS with Homebase, a unique advisory forum designed to build community, strengthen character, and encourage ethical decision making. In partnership with parents, teachers help students confront problems, and set positive, proactive examples, challenging students to be their best in the classroom, on the playing field, online, and outside the school. We pride ourselves on celebrating individual achievements and supporting each other's struggles. The result is a caring community of engaged learners that supports the greatness in one through the strength of many.

 

 

VMS Annual Report 2023-2024

About Us