International Understanding

Enrollment for Fall 2025-2026 is now open! Learn more

Our Approach

Beyond the Classroom

At Riverstone, students cultivate a diverse world-view and appreciation for the world’s peoples and cultures via academic endeavors and personal experiences. Through classrooms, in-home exchange programs, the outdoors, and international travel experiences, students form an international understanding that will give them the ability to engage and contribute to our global society.

Our Mission

The IB Continuum: Global Perspective Built Into Learning

As an IB World School, Riverstone is part of a global community of schools committed to educating students who help create “a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.”

Across the IB continuum, students learn to:

Investigate local and global issues through inquiry, research, and critical thinking
Develop the habits of internationally minded people—open-mindedness, empathy, principled action, and reflection
Connect learning to real-world contexts, encouraging global engagement and perspective-taking

This global lens shows up not only in what students study, but in how they learn: asking better questions, considering multiple viewpoints, and applying learning to complex human and environmental challenges.

Language Learning: Communication, Culture, and Identity

Language is one of the most powerful pathways into culture, and a cornerstone of international education. At Riverstone:

Spanish begins in Preschool and continues as a core part of students’ learning journey.
Mandarin begins in Grade 3, with continued opportunities through the secondary years.
In the High School, we can also support mother-tongue language development when feasible, helping students maintain and advance literacy in their home language (for example: German, Czech, French, Vietnamese, Portuguese, and more).

We see language learning as more than vocabulary and grammar: it builds cultural fluency, curiosity, confidence, and the ability to form authentic relationships across differences.

Educational Travel: Perspective, Purpose, and Real-World Learning (Grades 6–12)

Riverstone offers optional educational travel experiences for students in Grades 6–12 that build confidence, independence, and global perspective through real-world learning beyond the classroom. These trips are separate from the Otter Exchange Program and focus on language immersion, cultural exploration, and college readiness, led by Riverstone educators and trusted travel partners.

Current Travel Opportunities:

Costa Rica Spring Break (Grades 8–12 | 8 days | $3,200–$3,800)
Spanish-language immersion with homestays, cultural experiences, service projects, and adventure activities such as rafting and ziplining.
Eastern College Tour (Boston) (Grades 9–12 | 8–10 days | $2,800 | limited to 20 students)
March 23–30, 2026. Visit up to two colleges per day while classes are in session. Includes flights, hotels, ground transportation, and a group activity (meals additional).
China or Taiwan Spring Break (Grades 8–12 | 8–10 days | $3,800–$4,800)
Mandarin-language immersion through cultural tours, service opportunities, nature exploration, and daily life experiences. (Final destination determined by advisories, cost, and interest.)
Washington, DC Summer Trip (Rising Grade 8) (7 days | $2,300–$2,500)
A Grade 8 tradition featuring guided visits to major historical sites, including Gettysburg, Mt. Vernon, and the National Mall, plus active learning experiences.
San Francisco Culture, Language & Communities Tour (Rising Grade 7) (8–10 days | $1,500–$2,000)
An immersive study of San Francisco’s diverse communities, cultural institutions, and neighborhoods, with public transit used throughout to build independence and real-world skills.

The Otter Exchange Program: Reciprocal Partnerships, Real Belonging

Beginning in Fall 2025, Riverstone is launching an integrated set of international exchange experiences—the Otter Exchange Program—built around our mission and firmly grounded in the IB framework.

This is not travel for travel’s sake. In partnership with like-minded schools, students participate in exchanges that emphasize:

Interdisciplinary learning connected to IB expectations
Language immersion and cultural exchange
Host family stays and authentic daily life in another community
Coursework that brings learning back into Riverstone classrooms

Our exchange partners include schools such as:

The International School of Florence (Italy)
The American School of Madrid (Spain)
Wilhelm-Raabe-Schule (Germany)
Beanstalk International Bilingual School (China)

Just as importantly, these partnerships are designed to be reciprocal. Over time, we look forward to welcoming visiting students into Riverstone classrooms and Idaho experiences—often including homestays with Riverstone families and opportunities to explore our Outdoor Education program alongside their peers.

International Community Events: Celebrations That Build Culture

International Understanding is also built through the daily life of our community, shared traditions, celebrations, and opportunities to learn from one another.

Throughout the year, Riverstone students and families engage in community events that may include: