Founded in 1987, NYC Outward Bound Schools has served over 100,000 students, teachers, administrators, and parents from hundreds of schools and other youth-serving organizations throughout the City. Their educational approach challenges and supports students to do their best work, injects elements of adventure and discovery into schooling, grounds academic content in real-world issues and concerns, promotes teamwork as well as individual initiative, and places character and intellectual development on equal footing. For most participants, involvement with NYC Outward Bound Schools has resulted in profound learning and for many it has been transformational, helping them to recognize how much they are capable of accomplishing individually and collectively.

NYC Outward Bound Schools programs are organized into three broad categories:

1. Their Schools—a growing network of small, college-preparatory public schools that they operate in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. They support their schools in implementing the EL Education school model, which is rooted in Outward Bound's educational approach, and provide an extensive package of services and supports aimed at promoting high-quality teaching, high levels of student achievement, character development, and college access, readiness and persistence.

2. Their  Select Strategy Schools—a growing group of public schools to which they provide targeted professional development and coaching supports in implementing discrete aspects of their educational approach. 

3. Adventure & Team Building—customized Outward Bound programs for NYC public schools and other youth-serving organizations which are organized around the themes of teambuilding and character/leadership development.