New York City Outward Bound Schools

About

NYC Outward Bound Schools is a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming schools and changing the lives of young people in New York City, with a particular focus on students from historically underserved communities. Our customers, the students of New York City's public schools, often face significant challenges and systemic inequities. We believe that every student is capable of great achievement when provided with the right mix of challenge and support. That's why we partner with over 70 public schools across the five boroughs to create equitable, immersive, and joyful learning experiences that prepare them to thrive in college, career, and life. Our approach is grounded in the understanding that social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD) are deeply interconnected. We work to foster these competencies in all the spaces students learn—in their classrooms, their communities, and the outdoors. For over 35 years, we have been guided by the question: 'Why can't school be more like an Outward Bound course?' This principle drives us to bring the transformative power of the outdoors and the core tenets of the Outward Bound pedagogy into the classroom. We emphasize learning as an immersive, communal exercise where student agency is paramount. Through our unique model, which combines demanding academics with a focus on character and community, we see tangible results. The graduation rates at our partner schools consistently surpass the city average by more than 10 percentage points. We offer two primary partnership models: one that focuses on coaching teachers and leaders within schools to implement our deeper learning practices, and another that provides direct outdoor adventure and community-building programming to students. By centering the voices of the most marginalized students, we empower them to become active partners in their education, shaping their own futures and creating positive change in their communities.