Located in Eleuthera, The Bahamas, The Island School provides a transformative experience for students from kindergarten through to college age. It was founded in 1999 by Chris and Pam Maxey as an educational semester program to engage students in a powerful, place-based educational experience. The organization grew rapidly in the following years, all the while staying true to the founding vision of education, research and conservation. With a focus on experiential education informed by world-class research, we develop responsible citizens and leaders who can ensure a more sustainable future for our planet.
The Island School asks "how do we live well in a place?" Out of this question we formed a dynamic ecosystem of interdependent initiatives serving over 1,000 students annually from around the world: The Island School Semester and Summer Term Program, the Lab School (comprising Elementary Learning Center, Deep Creek Primary School, and Deep Creek Middle School), our Local Programs, and the Cape Eleuthera Institute.
The Cape Eleuthera Institute is dedicated to research and innovation and was born out of the growing need to expand both research and sustainable systems initiatives operating throughout The Island School programming. Capitalizing on the momentum generated by The Island School and the desire to address pertinent environmental issues facing The Bahamas and the Caribbean, core research and sustainable systems design initiatives were formalized as the Cape Eleuthera Institute. This increased its capacity to undertake larger projects, create space for courses and workshops in tropical sciences and sustainable design, and facilitate more formal collaboration with other like-minded institutions and governments.
With the campus and surrounding ocean as our laboratory, we teach students how to live well in a place by engaging in the process of inquiry in order to discover solutions to real-world problems. We support over $1 million in financial aid across all of our programs and the need grows every year to support deserving students. Our unique "edusystem" is unified by its common mission of leadership effecting change and galvanizing the potential of this growing community to lead a sustainable future for Eleuthera and our world.
Support from G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation has contributed to success across The Island School’s campus and programming. We welcome over 150 students annually from around the world to our Semester and Summer Term programs; provide research internships to early career scientists, over half of which received scholarships this past year; produce lettuce and tilapia in our aquaponics system in addition to vegetables and fruit on our working farm; and certify students annually as Reef Rescue divers. We have young Eleutherans join our Apprentice Program learning skills across campus; local students in our South Eleuthera Kids Camp; and train pre-service teachers and recent college graduates from the University of The Bahamas in place-based education at our Deep Creek Middle School. General, ongoing financial support is crucial for The Island School’s everyday needs, from the Lab School to our Semester and Summer Term program, to internship and research programs at the Cape Eleuthera Institute.
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