Enroll in Powderhouse

PHS is a different kind of school. We’re looking for three dozen, founding families to build it with us. We’d love to sit down with you to talk about whether it’s the right place for you and your family. Please get in touch to find a time (we’ll bring along a Spanish, Portuguese, or Haitian Creole interpreter if you’d like)!

Or, if you’re ready to pre-register, sign-up now. We plan to be running our lottery for enrollment next spring; by registering now you'll be included in the lottery automatically.

We want to work with people who see things differently, people who might feel out of place where they are now. Each person needs the right soil to flourish and find their voice. We are creating an intimate environment where young people do real work which matters to them. Staff aren’t just responsible for teaching math or english, but for people’s whole growth and development.

Ultimately, we are coaches and mentors devoted to making sure each person gets where they want to go. Whether making a skateboard or publishing a poetry magazine or programming a simulation, our role is similar to that of a producer in a film: to help realize those projects with richness and rigor.

But figuring out what you’re into and what to do about it is hard. We help people by starting small. Young people start by tackling small projects—sometimes in small groups—in small, interdisciplinary seminars. Over time, they take on bigger and bigger projects, with support from their peers and a tightly knit team of staff who stay with them throughout their time at PHS.

This means we had to rethink a lot of how school works. Cohorts are small—just 30-40 young people a year. Staff teams are also small—four in each cohort.

Great work needs a small, intimate environment. But for some young people, great growth needs a small, intimate environment, too. We make sure young people have the relationships and support they need to flourish. We meet year-round, giving families more control in scheduling vacations and getting rid of hectic, class schedules. We start our day at 10AM and end it at 5PM. There’s a morning session, then lunch, and then an afternoon session. We want to create an intimate community that supports young people in doing deep work, at their own pace, on a schedule that looks more like that of a professional than a student.

You probably still have questions. Starting a school is complicated, and we’ve worked with experts from all over to develop a world-class design. You can read more about our design, but really, we’d rather you text us or email us…We’d love to meet up to talk over drinks or coffee, wherever’s best for you. And if it’d be useful, we’ll bring along a Spanish, Portuguese, or Haitian Creole interpreter, too—