A private elementary school in southern New Hampshire, ages 6–10
Do what works.
A small school with a point of view: serious about learning, not solemn about it. Direct teaching, real practice, mastery before moving on, and progress you can see.
The spirit of the place
We take education seriously. That doesn't mean school has to be grim. Math is mandatory and progress is charted. Reading is taught until it's fluent. Around the serious work, kids get real social time, flexible time, and time they direct themselves.
We hold children to standards and tell them the truth about where they stand. We expect them to become capable of leading, and we say so to them. Much of how we do this comes from the past, from when kids were freer and the culture more pioneering; we use what's new wherever it helps, and skip it where it's a fad.
Two things set us apart: an attitude towards truth-seeking, and a throwback frontier spirit.
Who this is for
- Parents who are done with the public schools and haven't found a better option.
- The parent who already suspects their child could be doing more, or is being held back.
- Homeschooling families who want a peer group that shares their values.
- Parents who want a school that is less about safety-first softness and more about capability, while still warm and humane.
- Families aligned with, or at least friendly to, the Free Staters who founded and run it.
Ages 6–10 (roughly grades 1–5). Read the full program or why this works.