Founded in 1976 by Robert W. Craig, Keystone Science School has taught scientific principles and leadership skills to young people, teachers, and community members through engaging hands-on field experiences. KSS was founded on the belief that leaders should approach decision-making with a healthy respect for scientific inquiry, collaboration, and civic engagement. 

We know that today’s youth are our future leaders – the ones who will develop policies and make decisions that impact our world. With that in mind, we’ve created interactive science education programs that help students become familiar with scientific and critical thinking skills and encourage them to be engaged citizens. Our programs prepare future leaders to address the increasingly complex issues our society faces. Check out our values – they define KSS’s culture and help guide the staff when making decisions.

Located at 9,200 feet on the site of Old Keystone Village in Keystone, Colorado, our historic 23-acre campus serves as the ultimate outdoor laboratory and is the home base for our diverse suite of programs. Our facilities include modern log-style dormitories, a central dining hall, an outdoor amphitheater, and a state-of-the-art observatory.

Over the decades KSS has evolved to provide increasingly diverse and accessible programs around leadership development, STEM-based education, health and nutrition, teacher professional development, and experiential learning. Some new initiatives include CATCH Afterschool (started August 2011) and Summer CATCH Camp (starting June 2015) which provide out-of-school physical activity and nutrition education for elementary-aged students in Summit County. These programs operate on a sliding fee scale with the goal of serving as many low- and moderate-income families as possible.

Our Girls in STEM program kicked off in early 2015 giving young women the opportunity to explore the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math through games, experiments, and group activities. Research shows that in mixed gender classrooms girls often let boys take the lead in these subjects. But when given the opportunity to work in a girls-only setting, girls speak up, develop more self-confidence, and are more likely to do well in and pursue further study or a career in these subjects.