Student Life: Location | Dorms | Meals | Physical Fitness and Sports
Medical | Transportation | Clinical Services

Student Life

Location

Northwest Academy students live, work, and play in one of the country's most beautiful natural areas. The 120-acre campus is located in the Panhandle of northern Idaho and is surrounded by the Cabinet, Purcell, and Selkirk Mountain ranges. This pristine setting creates a remarkable natural classroom. Our campus is home to academic buildings, science labs, a computer lab, student center, dining hall, bouldering wall, climbing tower, swimming pond, soccer and softball fields, and basketball and volleyball courts.

Daily Schedule
We purposefully ensure that your child's time at Northwest Academy is carefully structured. Wake-up is at 6:30 a.m., followed by hygiene and dorm clean-up time. Breakfast is at 7 a.m., followed by chores. An all school gathering called First Light begins at 8 a.m., after which students begin classes.

Lunch is followed by afternoon classes, group-peer counseling or activities. Outdoor recreational activities such as volleyball, basketball, cross-country skiing, wilderness trip preparation, and running can also be a part of your child's daily schedule. Dinner is served at 6 p.m and clean-up chores follow.

Evenings include structured activities, study, and personal time. Students have time to talk and exchange their personal histories. The evening is important relaxation time for your child after a full and highly structured day. Students cherish their free time and like to spend it developing deeper friendships.

Weekends at Northwest Academy combine work with play and often include house and outdoor chores, dorm cleaning, study time, sports, and athletic activities. Saturday morning may be spent in hands-on academic learning or doing general campus cleanup, with activities in the afternoon. A later wake-up on Sunday morning creates a change of pace. The day begins with brunch, followed by optional sports and recreational activities throughout the day. Your child may also participate in excursions to local cultural and recreational attractions in the area. We usually show a movie each weekend. Our emphasis is on quality free time, offering a choice of fun and challenging activities

Dorms
Your child will live in one of our comfortable single-sex dormitories, sharing this living area and bathroom with one to five other students. Each dorm has an appointed "Dorm Head" providing leadership and setting the example for behavior. Staff are on campus 24-hours a day to offer both safety and supervision.

Meals
Faculty and students dine cafeteria style at the main lodge. Nutritious and balanced meals and snacks are planned by a registered dietician and are professionally prepared. Our nutritional, balanced meals and snacks aid your child in acquiring good dietary habits. Special dietary needs can be accommodated.

Physical fitness and sports
Sports and outdoor adventure activities play a vital role in our curriculum. Your child will be challenged continually by healthful, outdoor activities such as mountain biking, cross-country skiing, hiking, basketball, soccer, and volleyball.