A BETTER WAY TO LEARN
Leelanau’s rich, supportive environment is a community where teachers love to teach and the focus is on how to learn, rather than what to learn. We are a haven for intelligent and creative students: the bright, the talented, the inquisitive who may also feel unchallenged, restless, and anxious.
Experiential Learning
Academics
Academics at The Leelanau School go beyond hands on. We engage all your senses in learning to include kinesthetic, visual, and verbal learning. Through our methods, students are immersed in the learning experience. When you go out to collect data from the Crystal River for Biology class, you will not only be asked to note what the instrumental readings are, but also what you observe through sight, sound and smell.
Music, Visual Arts & Theater
At The Leelanau School creativity is encouraged and students are welcome to explore each arts discipline. Parents are often amazed that their “non-singing” child has a beautiful voice or that their camera shy child feels perfectly comfortable on the other side of the lens!
You don’t have to come with a talent, we will help you discover and develop your talents.
Health, Wellness, & Nutrition
The Leelanau School feels that students need to develop healthy lifestyles for their lifetimes. Our overall wellness program is designed around this premise by providing activities and guidance.
Parent/Teacher Conferences. ✔️ Suitcases Packed. ✔️ Fresh Snow. ✔️ It must be SPR🌱NG and Spring Break! Safe travels to our students and families. Adventures ahead. #abetterwaytolearn #springatlast #theleelanauschool ... See MoreSee Less
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It's time to come home for a visit! Alumni Reunion and Housing Registration is now available at leelanau.org/reunions or bit.ly/3R0CIde. Questions? Email alumni@leelanau.org ... See MoreSee Less
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Register at leelanau.org/reunions or bit.ly/3R0CIde beginning at 8 am on Thursday, March 20. ... See MoreSee Less
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"When new students come in, they are usually a mixture of hopeful and scared. There is a search for belonging, and the boarding environment really helps provide that. We start the year with the exploratory experiences, which are usually camping trips and those are all about making connections and creating a sense of belonging. They come out of this knowing each other outside the classroom. All of this means that once they get into the classroom and the Learning Center, there is more of a sense of seeing students as individuals. They understand that at Leelanau, school is not about judging them - it’s about finding what works for them." Michael Jarvis | Dean of Students #PeopleoftheLeelanauSchool #abetterwaytolearn #theleelanauschool
Grow at The Leelanau School. Apply now for the 2025-2026 school year: bit.ly/4e0Ddgq ... See MoreSee Less
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Leelanau School students experience science; trekking through the swamps and forests, launching items into the air with a trebuchet, studying the stars from our Lanphier Observatory, incubating seeds in the Greenhouse, and stirring up all things bubbly and stinky in Chem. And they are lucky enough to study with our mad professors Hansen, Gaden, Blondia, and Dean-Hall. #piday #CelebrateScientistsDay #ScienceEducationDay #theleelanauschool #abetterwaytolearn ... See MoreSee Less
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The CRC is definitely compelling reading😉😆😂 ❤️❤️❤️
We twinned for Spirit Week! #leelanauspirit #doublethefun #abetterwaytolearn ... See MoreSee Less
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Can school feel like family? Yes! ... See MoreSee Less
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Best school in the North! By far!
Signs of Spring in Northern Michigan! ... See MoreSee Less
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"Since starting here at The Leelanau School, I've changed my mind about making art in a lot of ways. Coming from a formal art education I was focused on giving students a technical foundation. Once in the classroom I saw how much fear there was about creating and making mistakes and suddenly leading with a list of rules seemed like a way to lose the very students who needed it the most. My priority became finding each student's passion and connecting it to the work. The students who connected their interests with the projects were taking on more challenges, getting more practice, and naturally making progress. Once they found joy in the process their curiosity made them ready to learn more of the formal aspects. Now the foundation of our classroom is trust, authenticity, and commitment to an environment that is free of judgement and full of encouragement."
Elara Coleman | Teaching Faculty, Visual Arts
#thepeopleofleelanau #abetterwaytolearn #moreARTnotless #passionbasedlearning #theleelanauschool ... See MoreSee Less
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I lived in that art building due to this type of mindset with the prior art teacher when i was a student here. It’s help me develop a deep passion and skill level over the past seven years since I was a student
A perfect replacement for Kaz with this ideal as the forefront of the class
Elara is the best!!!!
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