The school enhance the potential of students and promote academic success and development of caring community members. Our students are talented artists, athletes and leaders who often learn best through hands-on experiences.

New Hampton School employs a total human development approach to teaching and learning which includes the intellectual, emotional, and moral as well as the physical and spiritual lives of our students. All New Hampton School adults and young people engage actively and compassionately in developing their sense of purpose and diverse talents with the ultimate goal of building a better world. Our culture inspires an entrepreneurial spirit that emerges naturally from genuine relationships and rigorous learning opportunities.

As New Hampton community members, we seek to nurture and shape the whole person within the whole community. Toward this end, we build our school-wide culture and curriculum around a developmental philosophy that reflects current research and adheres to five guiding principles:

- We affirm that all learning takes place in the context of mutual relationships that are based not only on guidance but on shared experiences, understanding, and respect.
- We encourage community members to take responsibility for their personal growth and the positive growth of others.
- We celebrate each person’s uniqueness and foster intrinsic motivation by embracing all mediums of learning – academics, arts, athletics, and service – as equally important.
- We create a community where all members are known, needed, and cared for and have opportunities to shape their environment.
- We teach for transfer of lessons across time, experiences, and fields of study.