Educational Opportunities
Ely is a great place to learn just about anything! We have a great K12 school system, a community college that offers first-class education opportunities including forestry programs, veterinary technician education, nursing education and much more. The Ely Folk School offers learning experiences that celebrate the wilderness and the heritage, history, culture and craftsmanship of the people of northern Minnesota. Our surrounding area is the home too many camp and wilderness education programs such as the Boy Scouts and Outward Bound.
Take a look at the many opportunities available to you and your family in this community “at the end of the road”!
Ely Public Schools
Independent School District 696, composed of Ely Memorial High School and Washington Elementary, offers first-class education to its over 550 students.
The school is housed in beautiful historic buildings in the heart of Ely. Students have access to the latest technologies to enhance their learning. Opportunities for sports, the arts, and community involvement abound. Working with a local non profit, the school provides students with access to tutoring, mentoring, playground programs to teach civil behaviors such as sharing, working together, inclusiveness, and fun!
Opportunities exist to participate in community projects such as gardening, working with seniors, cleaning up the parks, studying water quality and many more activities.
Visit the Ely Public School web site to see the many opportunities www.ely.k12.mn.us
Ely Folk School
The Ely Folk School is a wonderful new addition to the community. Even in the winter months most weeks have one or more fun classes as well as dances, concerts and other events to enjoy.
The Folk School seeks to preserve and celebrate Ely’s cultural art heritage. Located on Ely’s busy main street, it provides fun and educational classes year-round. Learn to weave an ash basket, make beaded or copper jewelry, try your hand at quilting a lovely bag, work on an authentic birch bark canoe, and so much more.
Visit the Folk School web site to see the many opportunities www.elyfolkschool.org
Vermilion Community College
Vermilion Community College (VCC) is a unique two-year college with an abundance of class offerings to meet the needs of local students and students from around the country. Courses in wildlife management, business, emergency medical services, water quality science, land surveying, and criminal justice are just a sampling of what this great college offers. Recent additions to the curriculum include a veterinary technician program and classes for those entering the nursing fields. The campus is beautiful and offers a variety of student housing options.
Visit the Vermilion Community College listing to learn more about higher education opportunities in Ely.
Camps & Experiential Education
Ely is home to a large and varied number of camps such as Scout Camps, YMCA Camps, Outward Bound, and private camps. They all offer wonderful opportunities to enjoy the North woods and learn skills that will serve the guests their whole lives. Camps cater to kids, families and adults. They offer camping, canoeing, fishing, experiential eduction, and so much more.
Many of Ely’s residents first experienced Ely as a camper and made a life long goal to live in Ely. Often people in public life cite camping experiences as having changed their lives.
This is a list of many of the camps serving the Ely area. Visit their web sites to learn more.
| Camp Buckskin | YMCA Camp Du Nord |
| Camp Ko-Wa-Kan | Camp Voyageur |
| YMCA Camp Widjiwagan | Northern Tier High Adventure |
| Shamineau Rock Ridge Camp | Voyageur Outward Bound School |