About La Lumiere School
La Lumiere School is an independent, co-educational boarding and day prep school located in La Porte, Indiana. Founded in 1963, La Lumiere serves students in grades 9-12 who come from as close as five minutes’ drive and as far as the other side of the globe. Our day and boarding programs both offer rigorous academics and myriad opportunities for growth in confidence, self-awareness, compassion, and ownership of personal experience. Each day brings with it a sense of wonder—our campus is situated on two lakes and vast woodlands, which makes it an exceptional place to live and learn.
Meet the Lakers
La Lumiere students, also known as Lakers, come from diverse places across the United States and around the world. They join us because they’re students who seek a high school experience that gives them opportunities to learn and grow beyond the norm—because they want a school as unique as they are.
Our students and faculty are kind, compassionate, intellectually curious individuals who actively seek personal growth inside and outside of the classroom. They choose La Lumiere because they want to be challenged, to discover their full potential, and to become the best versions of themselves. And what’s more, Lakers value the growth of their peers—they recognize that the greatest success comes in lifting up each other.
Lakers’ interests are as diverse as they are. Our students have worked side-by-side with scientists developing cutting-edge technology in particle physics, earned the title “National Champions” in basketball, interned as journalists at the New York Times, organized large-scale local events in politics and the arts, and so much more. Lakers continue to build upon their success after graduation, too. We’re honored to count notable individuals in politics, academia, business, entertainment, and more among our alumni (think: the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court). At a place where there’s no one right way to be, there are special opportunities for everyone.
📍 We are here.
La Lumiere is located one hour from downtown Chicago, just 5 miles from the beautiful beaches of Harbor Country®, Michigan, and 30 minutes’ drive from South Bend, Indiana and the University of Notre Dame campus to the East and Indiana Dunes National Park to the West.
Our campus hosts a mix of old and new, from our cabin-in-the-woods community hub called the Moore House that predates the school, to the iconic Marsch Gym designed by modernist architect Helmut Jahn in the late 1970s. Read more about the history of La Lumiere School below.
Whether we study soil samples or the chemistry of our lake, tap maple trees for sap, seek inspiration for our latest poetry in breaths of fresh air, or find peace walking along forest trails, the setting of our campus provides ample opportunities for learning from the nature that surrounds us.
“La Lumiere is one of the most unique schools, and anyone who has the chance to spend time there is fortunate.”
A Brief History
