Montessori and environmental education in the heart of the Catskills

Explore our Programs

Homestead School offers a holistic and engaging academic Montessori environment, with a permaculture focus, for students Pre-K through Early College

The Homestead School is an independent Montessori school with two campuses located in the Catskills of New York. Our programs educate the body, mind, and spirit of children through experiential learning, while holding high standards in academics and character development. Homestead offers a welcoming academic environment, grounded in the Montessori approach and the belief that all children have the innate desire and ability to learn.

Founded in 1978 by Marsha and Peter Comstock, The Homestead School is a not-for-profit organization offering a unique, life-enriching, humanitarian, and outdoor-oriented educational experience for students ages 3 years to 18 years.

Who We Are

About Homestead

At our Primary School, students as early as age three begin their learning at our 100 acre farm-based campus in Glen Spey, NY. Students at Homestead are immersed in opportunities to develop their academic, social, and individual selves daily through Montessori education.

As our students begin the incredible transformation of adolescence, they are welcomed onto our town-based campus in Hurleyville, NY. Middle School students are immersed within a project-based curriculum while our partnership with SUNY Sullivan ensures our High School students expand their learning through college courses and mentorships.

Each program honors the developmental needs and interests of the child while celebrating a love of learning in a globally aware community.

Our Programs

Program Overview

We would love to hear from you! Whether you are a prospective family, a future member of our team, an alumnus, or an individual/organization looking to support and collaborate, we look forward to connecting.

Get In Touch

Connect With Us
A group of people sitting around a campfire at night, engaged in conversation and listening, with some holding drinks, in a dark outdoor setting.
A woman holding a young girl outdoors in winter, both wearing colorful knitted hats, with other women in winter clothing in the background. Snow is on the ground and a clear blue sky is above.
A young person using a cordless drill to fasten wood to a building frame while an older man watches.
A young girl with long brown hair working on a worksheet with circles to trace, sitting at a wooden table in a classroom, with bookshelves in the background.
Group of people, mostly young boys, inside a greenhouse or botanical garden surrounded by large green tropical leaves, with a pond and rocks in the foreground.
Group of hikers with backpacks and gear posing on a trail in a natural setting with trees and hills in the background.
A young girl and boy face each other in a classroom setting, each holding a white cloth or paper. Behind them, on a blue display with paper and craft items, there are handwritten signs and notes. Other children and adults are visible in the backgroun
Children running and playing in a wooded forest area during daytime with autumn leaves on the ground and trees with green and yellow foliage.
Sign reading 'The Homestead' in front of a wooded area with trees and ferns.
Three people working together outdoors, planting a garden or tree, with some construction materials and tools around.
People gathered in a forest for an outdoor presentation or performance, with children seated on benches and adults standing around, some taking photos or notes.
A man in a blue striped shirt kneeling on the floor shows a black object to five young children sitting on the carpet. The children are watching intently, and some are hugging each other. A educational poster on a door and shelves with various items
Two children, a boy and a girl, sitting at a table painting with watercolors. The boy is holding a paintbrush in his right hand and working on a white sheet of paper, while the girl is also painting on a sheet, creating shapes and figures with vibran
Four teenagers playing pickleball on an outdoor court with trees showing fall foliage in the background.
A woman helping a young girl put on snow boots while sitting in a snow-covered area during winter. Other children are visible in the background wearing winter clothing and surrounded by snow.
Two boys inside a greenhouse or plant conservatory, surrounded by green plants, one of whom is holding a tiny insect on his finger.
A young person wearing a black Puma hoodie shaping clay on a pottery wheel in a studio.
A group of teenagers sitting in a row, listening attentively in an indoor setting.
Workshop and studio with several people working at tables, surrounded by tools and equipment, including a bandsaw and a whiteboard, with large windows providing natural light.
An elderly man and two children working together in a greenhouse, inspecting small plants growing in trays.
Children riding in the back of a dark gray pickup truck with a crew cab, on a gravel path in a rural area with trees in the background.
A young boy with brown hair wearing a plaid shirt and dark overalls eats a slice of pie with a plastic fork at a table with a checkered tablecloth. In the background, a woman stands behind a wooden counter.
A small fire burning in a metal fire pit outdoors during sunset, with steam or smoke rising from it and leafless trees in the background.
Two children in winter jackets and helmets hugging outdoors on a snowy landscape, with a wooden building and a sign in the background.
Children and adults at a farm interacting with goats and other farm animals on a sunny day.
Group of people sitting around a fire pit outside under a wooden shelter, some eating and talking, with a building in the background.
Children playing with wooden blocks and an adult in a classroom setting.
Three children, two girls and one younger girl, are holding an egg carton with eggs and looking at it. They are outdoors near wooden structures.
A person with brown hair looking into a transparent 3D printer machine in a room with wooden walls and a window.
Children and an adult joyfully playing and holding hands in a circle on an outdoor basketball court.
Children and adults holding hands and forming a large circle outdoors on a grassy field, with trees and a partly cloudy sky in the background, during daytime.
Young girl with glasses and gray sweatshirt using tweezers with blue gloves to handle a fish on a baking sheet in classroom setting.
Teacher and children in a classroom gathered around a whiteboard with diagrams, with educational tools and toys in the background.