Wonder

Wisdom Begins with

An independent school on Nantucket serving children from age 2.9 - Grade 8.

What children know matters. Who they become matters just as much.

At Nantucket Lighthouse School, we are committed to the education of the whole child, concerning ourselves equally with ethical and intellectual development.

Learning extends beyond textbooks and classroom walls, through hands-on projects, meaningful work, and experiences that connect children to the natural world. Students are known deeply, encouraged to think critically, and given the time and space to wonder, discover, and become.

We prepare children for what comes next without asking them to rush through what comes now.

A watercolor painting of a globe showing continents including Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia, in shades of green.
A Nantucket Lighthouse School Small School student runs joyfully through lush greenery in the school garden during horticulture class, exploring nature and enjoying outdoor learning.
A Nantucket Lighthouse School student project displayed during Project Night, featuring a handmade map of Nantucket on blue paper with handwritten labels identifying different things.
Caitlin Tyler, Nantucket Lighthouse School’s 5th and 6th Grade Teacher and Head of Upper Grades, shares a joyful moment with a Middle School student as they look through a notebook together at a wooden classroom table, with bookshelves in the backgro
A Nantucket Lighthouse School student draws a colorful abstract portrait in her lesson book, using expressive shapes, patterns, and detailed illustrations as part of a creative classroom learning activity.
Colorful woven baskets displayed on a small wooden table, with labels reading 'Fadah,' 'Lillian,' and 'Ethan.' In the background, a mural depicts a mountain landscape with trees, stars, and an orange sun or sunset.
A Nantucket Lighthouse School Small School student with brown hair plants a seed in the soil during horticulture class, engaging in hands-on gardening and exploring the natural world in the school garden.
Poetry journals created by Nantucket Lighthouse School students displayed during Project Night, featuring colorful hand-drawn illustrated covers of the sun, sky, and natural world alongside their creative writing.
A Nantucket Lighthouse School Middle School student plays basketball outdoors, dribbling an orange basketball near picnic tables and trees while enjoying physical activity and time outside.

AGES 2.9 - 5
A place to wonder

Small School

A warm, nurturing beginning where children feel deeply known and cared for, and where play, projects, and nature inspire a lasting sense of wonder.

Explore Small School

A Nantucket Lighthouse School Small School student explores a garden path surrounded by lush green plants and foliage, enjoying a quiet moment of outdoor discovery.

KINDERCLASS - GRADE 4
A place to discover

Lower School

An education rooted in active exploration, where children ask questions, make connections across subjects, and build a deeper understanding of the world around them.

Explore Lower School

Two Nantucket Lighthouse School students face each other while looking through red binoculars, sharing a playful moment of curiosity and exploration.

GRADES 5 - 8
A place to become

Middle School

Where adolescents grapple with complex ideas, develop their own convictions, and grow into themselves with increasing independence and a deepening sense of purpose.

Explore Middle School

A Nantucket Lighthouse School student with brown hair sitting at a wooden table, drawing or coloring on a sheet of paper with markers. The background features a classroom with educational posters and storage shelves. 
This is what school can be.

The best way to understand Lighthouse is to be here.

Explore the campus, meet our community, and start a conversation about your child’s next chapter.

Request a Visit
Explore the Campus

Get to Know Lighthouse

A Nantucket Lighthouse School student with blonde hair tied back, smiling and singing while playing a small wooden ukulele, sitting at a table in a cozy classroom with books, plants, and colorful decorations.
Admissions
A Nantucket Lighthouse School classroom with large windows decorated with hanging paper butterflies and stars, a globe on a wooden shelf, and a pink wall with educational charts. Wooden furniture and storage bins are visible.
Our Story
A beautifully arranged table for Nantucket Lighthouse School’s Small School Tea, featuring a colorful bouquet of flowers, teacups, plates, and small floral arrangements in a warm, welcoming classroom setting.
Get Involved
A Nantucket Lighthouse School father carries his smiling son, who holds a small bouquet of white flowers, welcoming him to the school for the Small School Tea celebration.
For Our Families

“We chose the Lighthouse School because the school’s philosophy aligns with our family’s values. From day one, the administration and teachers welcomed our children and met them ‘where they were.’ Connecting with our children at their level was clearly a priority. Our children are offered kind and thoughtful guidance when they struggle. When they excel, options and resources are offered that foster their growth. The school has instilled a solid foundation of self-worth, respect for others, and the responsibility of being a part of a nurturing community. We feel so privileged that this education is available to us.”

—Lighthouse Parent

A Message from

Emily Miller,

Head of School

When I stepped into the role of Head of School at Nantucket Lighthouse School, I experienced the nostalgic feeling of coming home — home to a school whose mission, philosophy, and educational approach align deeply with my own and with educational research and best practices in child development.

Lighthouse is a place where children enter school each day with excitement and are met by educators who embrace their individuality, honor the unique pace of childhood, and help ignite a passion for lifelong learning.

Through a meaningful and intentionally integrated curriculum, Lighthouse lives up to the ideal of what education should be. It is rigorous and academic, magnetic and magical.

Our mission and philosophy are visible as you walk the hallways and visit classrooms, but they can also be felt — in the sounds of children at work and play, in the relationships between students and teachers, and in the care with which our educators guide each child’s journey.

We are not simply delivering a curriculum. We are educating the whole child — head, heart, and hands.

It is a privilege to lead this extraordinary school and community.

Warmly,

Emily Miller
Head of School

A Place to Wonder, Discover, and Become

Exterior of the Chace Schoolhouse at Nantucket Lighthouse School, located at 1 Rugged Road on Nantucket, featuring a traditional shingled building with a covered porch, wooden columns, a gabled roof, and a large arched window surrounded by greenery.
A pink watercolor illustration of a compass rose with words 'Curiosity,' 'Wisdom,' 'Kindness,' and 'Belonging' around it. Representing the Nantucket Lighthouse School's Core Values

Life at Lighthouse

The everyday moments that make this place what it is.

Follow @nantucketlighthouseschool

A whole year is more than the days on a calendar. It’s a year of questions and discoveries. Of making and doing. Of friendships, traditions, challenges, and moments of joy. It’s a year of growing — not just academically, but in co 
Come see what school can be.
A watercolor illustration of a Monarch butterfly with orange and black patterned wings, seen from above with spread wings, on a transparent background.