About Eagle's Nest Foundation and The Outdoor Academy

The Outdoor Academy is an accredited, residential, semester school for high achieving tenth-grade and select ninth- and eleventh-grade students. Rising from a long tradition of experiential education at Eagle's Nest Foundation, a non-profit organization chartered in 1950, The Outdoor Academy incorporates a college preparatory curriculum with environmental education, wilderness leadership, unique arts offerings, and regional studies in a small community setting. Established in 1995, The Outdoor Academy enrolls up to 28 students from across the United States each semester to attend our school located in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina. The mission of the school is “Experiential education for young people, promoting the natural world and the betterment of human character.” The school is built around its four cornerstones of Intellect, Environment, Craft, and Community, and ENF and OA are currently focused on pursuing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.