History

With no school in Vail, parents Jack Tweedy, Betty Seibert, and Barbara Parker form Vail Country Day School (VCDS) with Allen Brown as its first teacher. The first classes were held October 15, 1962 around the dining table of Betty and Peter Seibert. Mid-year, VCDS moves to The Lodge at Vail after its construction is completed.

Vail Country Day School enrollment doubles.

Allen Brown named head teacher at VCDS and is joined by Judy Marshall Nelson who teaches the first Kindergarten. Vail pioneer Dick Hauserman, together with VCDS parent Ted Kindel, negotiate use of the top floor of the Vail Fire House. Parent volunteers transform the space into two large classrooms, library, teachers' office, and bathroom.

VCDS grows to twenty-six students and three teachers, with Ginny Crowley as head teacher.

The Town of Vail is incorporated. VCDS parent Ted Kindel becomes the first mayor of Vail.

VCDS relocates to the new Vail Clinic building on West Meadow Drive in a single classroom using an "open space" concept.

Eagle County School District forms Vail's first public school, absorbing the students and resources of VCDS in grades K-6. VCDS grades seven and eight relocate to Vail Associates offices on Wall Street and then to the Bank of Vail building in Crossroads.

VCDS moves to the Tivoli Lodge and then Lionshead Center. All six students take home medals from the Vail Standard Ski Race. Over the years, a number of VCDS students will compete as members of the U.S. Ski Team. During the early years of the school, students were dismissed mid-day to ski. This tradition continues today with Friday afternoon school-wide ski outings.

Vail Associates provides another new home for VCDS, offering the use of the conference room in the Lionshead Gondola building.

VCDS holds the first annual Kitchen Tour to establish a scholarship fund under the leadership of J. Neil Smith. For the first time, the school admits out-of-area students, most of whom are Ski Club Vail racers living with local host families.

VCDS is renamed Vail Mountain School (VMS) and continues to grow as a school for ski racers. The school adds a tenth grade during the fall and fifth and sixth grades in January, bringing enrollment to forty-five students.

VMS is issued a five-year lease by Vail Associates on the property at Meadow Mountain, now occupied by the Forest Service. Parent volunteers, students, and faculty work together to improve the property. Two modular buildings are added to the campus.

Caryle Clark is appointed headmaster. Vali Pulis, Peggy Augustine, Erik Brofos, and Lael Fray are the first seniors to graduate from VMS.

Peter Abuisi is hired to direct the Lower and Middle Schools as well as teach Language Arts and Social Studies. Enrollment grows to 112 with the addition of grades 1-4. Planning for a permanent facility at the school's present day Booth Creek location is underway.

Peter Abuisi becomes Headmaster. The school graduates eight seniors, all of whom will enter college in the fall. This milestone represents a continued commitment to a college preparatory curriculum. Construction of the Booth Creek facility begins in May on a multi-acre parcel donated to the school by Vail Associates. The project is designed by architect Gordon Pierce and built by Bob Lazier, both of whom were VMS parents and board members at the time.

Despite opening a week late, the new VMS building is constructed in record time during a single summer recess. Undeterred by the delay, classes start on schedule using locations in Vail Village as a temporary campus. A total of 107 students attend grades 1-12 at the new campus with 11 seniors graduating in May.

VMS is granted membership in the Association of Colorado Independent Schools (ACIS). Exterior restoration of the Homesteader Cabin, which was built in 1906, is completed with the guidance of Edna Baldauf Norgaard who spent her childhood there. Norgaard is awarded an honorary diploma at graduation.

VMS becomes a member of the National Association of Independent Schools. The curriculum continues to evolve and is reviewed annually to evolve with the needs of our students in an ever-changing world. 

Celebrating its 20th academic year, the school has grown from seven students and one teacher to 137 students with 14 teachers. The curriculum has evolved from tutor-based instruction to a college preparatory course of study. Thirteen seniors graduate, bound for colleges and universities nationwide.

Kindergarten returns to VMS with a class of 12. A campus expansion houses a Kindergarten classroom, math center, computer lab, conference room, and kitchen.

VMS celebrates its 25th anniversary. The school begins its celebration by entering a float which won first place in the Town's Fourth fo July parade.

VMS Campus Center is built, expanding the Booth Creek facility. The center includes a gymnasium, locker rooms, and a stage for Performing Arts. Enrollment reaches 180 students taught by 21 teachers.

The building is expanded with the addition of a third level adding classrooms, offices, and study space.

The school's library expands with total volumes reaching 10,034 in May.

VMS launches SummerQuest, an outreach program for Middle School students in Eagle County Public Schools who have been identified as talented and in need of additional academic support. SummerQuest continues to this day.

VMS celebrates its 35 anniversary. Successful fundraising provides over $200,000 in need-based tuition assistance. Land in Sweetwater is purchased for student retreats.

VMS adopts its second Strategic Plan, resulting in a decision to expand the school.

The $26 million "!magine" Capital Campaign is launched by VMS to fund a completely new campus at the existing location. Vail Resorts donates the land east of Katsos Ranch Road for faculty housing. Ground is broken on the new facility in April 2003.

The new VMS campus is dedicated on September 23, 2005 marking the completion of Phase Three of construction which includes a new Kindergarten room, dining room, gymnasium, and playground. Ethically Engaged Youth (now Students Shoulder to Shoulder) is established to connect Upper School students to cultures around the globe through service and learning programs.

VMS adopts its third strategic plan focusing on academics, aesthetics, athletics, character, and settings.

VMS adopts a new mission statement to reflect globally-minded, liberal arts, college preparatory curriculum enhanced by athletics, outdoor education, community service, and cross-age interaction. The school is re-accredited by ACIS.

VMS awards more than $1,000,000 in need-based tuition assistance to a total of 26% of students.

Upper School launches a one-week Intraterm for tenth grade students to expand the traditional curriculum. Further enrichment opportunities are provided by staff focused on community service, outdoor education, technology, and college counseling. The school installs solar panels on the roof.

As VMS prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the school adopts its fourth strategic plan designed to assure that, in the course of the next fifty years, it will not only continue to build upon the core values of its unique community, but also enhance the quality of programs and the financial sustainability of the institution. This reflects a commitment to preparing its students for leadership in meeting the multiple and complex challenges they face in the 21st Century.

The Town of Vail, Vail Mountain, and Vail Mountain School celebrate their 50th anniversaries.

Mike Imperi becomes Head of School and is charged with spearheading strategic initiatives. Capital improvements during this time include building a greenhouse, remodeling the library, resurfacing the Bandoni Alumni Field, implementing a Makerspace, and adding a Mandarin program.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to move to remote learning in March, 2020 and VMS continued remote learning through the end of the school year. However, VMS opened for in-person learning on August 24, 2021 and remained open (with a few exceptions for Upper and Middle School) for the entire 2020 - 2021 school year.

Steve Bileca was appointed as the next Vail Mountain School Head of School. Steve came from Hackley School in Tarrytown, NY.