Lakeside School

In 2019-2020, Lakeside School celebrates its centennial. Throughout the past 100 years, members of our community have been invested in making the school – and the world – a better place: adopting high academic standards in the 1930s; launching a summer program for public school students, the Lakeside Educational Enrichment Program (LEEP), in the 1960s; merging with St. Nicholas School and becoming coed in the 1970s; shifting from Eurocentrism to a focus on global citizenship in the 1990s.

The mission of Lakeside School is to develop in intellectually capable young people the creative minds, healthy bodies, and ethical spirits needed to contribute wisdom, compassion, and leadership to a global society.

We provide a rigorous and dynamic academic program through which effective educators lead students to take responsibility for learning. We are committed to sustaining a school in which individuals representing diverse cultures and experiences instruct one another in the meaning and value of community and in the joy and importance of lifelong learning.

The Lakeside School mission informs everything we do as a community to nurture in our students a love of learning, caring for others, and understanding of the importance and joy of living a life of integrity.

Our students are scholars, athletes, artists, musicians, community service volunteers, fundraisers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and much, much more. They are curious, active, and engaged. They appreciate excellence in whatever they do and are committed to their own learning. Eighty percent of them play at least one season of a varsity sport and just as many participate in our arts programs and community service programs long after fulfilling their arts and service requirements!

Working in small, collaborative classes, our teachers help students learn how to think, write, and speak thoughtfully about topics that range from globalism, artificial intelligence, and game theory in the Upper School to climate change, identity development, and multicultural mythological systems in the Middle School.

We believe that academic excellence and diversity go hand in hand. Students here find peers from every background and every walk of life in every classroom. We recognize and celebrate the unique talents that each student brings and we want the widest possible range of perspectives represented in every discussion. We are also committed to providing a level playing field for students who are enrolled in the school and make all school services such as tutoring, access to technology, and global travel equally available to all students regardless of ability to pay.

Lakeside School has been engaged in diversity work for over a half-century, and our mission articulates our commitment to sustain a school in which “individuals representing diverse cultures and experiences instruct one another in the meaning and value of community.” We recognize diversity alone does not lead to inclusion, and we take active steps to create an environment in which the identities and cultural backgrounds of our families, students, and employees are valued and respected.

We believe that diversity is essential to achieving educational and academic excellence, and that students’ learning experiences are enriched by the diversity of the curriculum, student body, and adult community. Lakeside is committed to creating an inclusive and equitable community in which all individuals can participate in and contribute to the life of the school, regardless of race, gender, class, religion, sexual orientation, or any other aspect of their identity. We actively work to gain a deeper understanding of difference and how we honor it in our daily lives at school.

At each grade level, students are challenged academically and personally to learn and grow. From the lab to the stage, our faculty and staff guide students as they gain understanding and proficiency across all disciplines. Our academic program is designed to teach students the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will best prepare them for success in a global society.

Lakeside students are supported by faculty and staff with outstanding experience and credentials in their fields, as well as a passion for educating young people. In addition to their teachers, Lakeside students have access to a wide range of educational specialists in our library, global education program, and student and family support program. An ongoing professional development program and evaluation system supports teachers at all stages of their careers by supporting their growth in areas such as pedagogy (the study of how best to teach), inclusion and equity, technology, and discipline-specific knowledge.