The best education we know is possible

Pelion is an expeditionary research school for ages 17–19. Students graduate with an accredited high-school diploma, two transcripts, a defended thesis, and a portfolio of published work.

Students spend 61 of 105 weeks in the field, learning with local hosts, researchers, and communities. Expeditions run in six regions of the planet, with long periods of wilderness and off-grid living.

A two-year Core Curriculum in the human sciences, natural sciences, and epistemology is the foundation for students’ field research and experiences. Research is supported by local teachers, guides and researchers, and by Pelion’s integrated research platform, Humboldt AI. Storytelling makes that research public and is assessed for craft and impact.

We are building Pelion as a school where demanding academic study travels with students and the world becomes a place of sustained inquiry. Technologies such as AI and satellite internet help make this model possible by bringing learning support into the field and putting more advanced research tools within students’ reach. AI is one of our tools, enabling interaction with and exploration of remote and rugged environments, guided practice and feedback between faculty-led sessions, and the teaching of technology-related skills.

Alongside that opportunity comes a responsibility: students must develop the knowledge to question information, the judgement to decide what to do with it, and the character to take responsibility for their actions. At Pelion, they will practice these things through research, the shared demands of expeditionary life, and a deep experience of the world.