The Lowell Whiteman School

Engaged, challenged and supported through...
Rigorous Academics, Mentoring Relationships & Experiential Education.

Inspiring MINDS…..

The Lowell Whiteman School is a college-preparatory, co-educational boarding and day school.

How we do what we do…Inspiring LIVES

The College Preparatory Curriculum

LWS offers courses in English, math, science, social studies, foreign language, computer science, and the arts. All courses are year-long classes.  Classes emphasize reading, writing, and critical thinking.  Homework, in every class every night, is an integral part of the academic program.  As part of their coursework students learn to work both independently and collaboratively.  LWS students prepare rigorously for college.  Inspired teachers challenge students and prepare them for what they will face in the best colleges.  Check out College Counseling for more information and a list of colleges and universities which have accepted our students.

Students typically take five courses, with two proctored study halls scheduled into their class day.  Boarding students also attend a proctored evening study hall five nights per week.  Dean’s and honors students are exempt from proctored study halls.

LWS “Activities” or Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club training take the place of formalized gym classes at the school.  LWS activities include mountain biking, kayaking, horseback riding, rock climbing, mountaineering, skiing, and snowboarding.  In place of LWS activities, students may participate through the local public school in organized sports such as soccer, wrestling, football, lacrosse, basketball, hockey, tennis, golf, volleyball and track.

The school year, which consists of three trimesters runs from late August to early June.  Vacations include Thanksgiving, winter, and spring breaks.  First trimester exams occur prior to Thanksgiving vacation, and final exams complete the year.  Competitive skiers and snowboarders drop two courses between January and March; they make up these classes during an “Intersession” month (early April – early May), while those students in the foreign travel program are on Foreign Trip.  As part of the school’s overall curriculum, students participate in two three-day camp trips and the six-day “Desert Week.”  These programs fulfill our famous and innovative “LWS Experience.”  To learn more about the nuts and bolts of our experiential education programs, check out:

The LWS Experience – outdoor programs & activities
Competitive Ski/Ride – with Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club

Rachel Rothe – class of 2004, “I was so much better prepared than the kids in my dorm.  I know how to write an essay, I’m used to reading for comprehension now, I know how to study.  I know how to think and  I can manage my time.  Now I’m going to veterinary school. If you’d asked me as a freshman in high school, would I ever do this, I would have said no.  But here I am…”

Admission is determined by application, school record, interview, and teacher recommendations.