Raquette Lake Union Free School is a rural Adirondack school located in the center of the Adirondack Park. The school is not only a unique educational opportunity for children in this sparsely populated area; it also provides a focal point for the community. As a small rural school Raquette Lake Union Free School provides educational opportunities for its students not found in many school districts. The academic programs, which fully address the Standards, also address the needs and wishes of the parents and community.

The physical plant itself was built in the 70's and provides for two classrooms, office, speech room, gym and a stage/lunchroom. Housed within this building are grades K-6. Classes are broken into a K-3 classroom and a 4-6 classroom. The fact that each classroom has multi-age grouping provides an excellent opportunity for peer tutoring.

Due to the student/teacher ratio, individualized programs are the norm rather than the exception. Being a rural school, technology as a form of communication with others plays an important role in student development. On line programs help students interact with others outside their community and state.

The community actively supports programs that enrich the curriculum. Such programs include the implementation of a Sign Language Program. This program was developed in an attempt to better communicate and serve the needs of our students and the area's population as a whole, and it has been very successful with both groups. Another program provided by Raquette Lake School worthy of mention is our Outdoor Education Program. This program focuses on the responsible use of the unique area in which the students live. Over the past years students have been involved with an annual cross-country ski program, botanical hikes, lectures (i.e. lectures on mycology and space provided by experts within the community), involvement in a national trapping conference, use of the Cortland State University Outdoor Education Center, rafting, camping and orienteering. These are just a few of the types of activities that fall under the auspices of the Outdoor Education Program. This program, as a whole, has been successful due to community support through equipment and services.

An instrumental music program for Raquette Lake Union Free School students has been in existence for the past several years. Students in the grades 3-6 have the opportunity to be involved in this program. This program provides instrumental music lessons for the older students under the tutelage of a certified BOCES music teacher.

Cultural arts are also stressed. Students in Grades 4-6 participate in a Spanish or French Language Program. This program exposes students to language and culture. Students K-6 are involved with various artists, writers, visual artists and the performing arts. These programs are provided both on site and through field trips.

Raquette Lake Union Free School offers its students quality education in all basic subject areas with many "out of the classroom" enrichment activities not usually found in larger school settings. Students are prepared for their transition to the 7th grade and, having participated in a small community based school, tend to be very civic minded. Many of Raquette Lake Union Free School students go on to college and attain their professional goals.