38 Charter Schools in New Hampshire

I was surprised to learn that a lot of people don’t know what charter schools are.

All charter schools in New Hampshire are public schools that operate independently of traditional school districts. They are tuition-free and open to all students, and managed by an independent board (not elected). These schools often have specialized curricula or educational approaches. They also have greater flexibility in hiring and teaching methods than district public schools. Taxes fund them, so attendees do not pay tuition. 

We currently have 38 approved charter schools all around New Hampshire, including 5 that have not yet opened.

Many charter schools take particular approaches, so it would make sense to apply only if that approach will suit your child.

The approaches of the charter schools in NH include: advanced technologies, alternative high schools for students who don’t fit into their district high schools, arts integration, classical education, literacy, college prep, competency-based, dual degree at a community college, inquiry-based, Montessori, nature-based, project-based, science technology engineering and math (STEM), and Waldorf.

You can find most of these, and other terms, in the EdOpt glossary.

Anyone can attend any charter school in NH, no matter where you live. If too many students apply, there’s a lottery. Students are added to a waitlist if they are not selected.

The table below shows all the charter schools in New Hampshire. The table groups the charter schools by their approach. It shows the location, grades, and the current availability for this school year. Each charter school has a link to its website.

New Hampshire Charter Schools

Charter School & link	City	Grades	Approach	Availability
Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies	Manchester	9-12	Advanced technologies	open
Riverview Chartered Public School	Claremont	9-12	Alt high school	waitlist
CSI Charter School	Penacook	ages 17-22	Alt high school/ competency-based learning	open
Ledyard Charter School	Lebanon	9-12	Alt high school/ competency-based learning	waitlist
The Birches Academy of Academics & Art: A Public Charter School	Salem	k-8	Arts integration	waitlist
Gate City Charter School for the Arts	Merrimack	k-8	Arts integration	open
Seacoast Charter School	Dover	k-8	Arts integration	waitlist
Arts Academy of New Hampshire	Salem	9-12	Arts, dance, music, theater	open
Seacoast Classical Academy Chartered Public School	Newton	k-9	Classical	1-4 waitlist k, 5-9 open
The Founders Academy Public Charter School	Manchester	5-12	Classical	7-9 waitlist 5,6,10-12 open
Benjamin Franklin Academy Chartered Public School	Loudon	6-10	Classical	open
Compass Classical Academy: A Public Charter School	Northfield	k-12	Classical	open
Lionheart Classical Academy Chartered Public School	Peterborough	k-12	Classical	waitlist
North Star Academy Chartered Public School	Ossipee	k-8	Classical	waitlist
Strong Foundations Charter School	Pembroke	k-8	Classical, Literacy	open
Granite Valley Preparatory Chartered Public School	Monadnock area	9-12	College prep	not open for business yet
North Country Charter Academy	Littleton & Lancaster	7-12	Competency-based	open
MicroSociety Academy Charter School	Nashua	k-8	Competency-based	waitlist
Virtual Learning Academy Charter School	Virtual	k-12	Competency-based, part-time and full-time	open
Making Community Connections (MC2) Charter School – Monadnock	Keene	6-12	Competency-based, year round, heterogeneous groups	open
New Hampshire Career Academy	Community colleges	grade 12 only	Dual degree at a community college	open
Wellheart Chartered Public School	Merrimack	k-8	Inquiry-based learning	open and waitlist
Cornerstone Chartered Public School	Upper Valley area	k-8	Literacy-first	not open for business yet
Mill Falls Charter School	Manchester	k-6	Montessori	waitlist
Mountain Village Charter School	Plymouth	1-8	Montessori, nature-based	open
Robert Frost Charter School	Conway	k-12	Montessori, project-based	open
Heartwood Chartered Public School	Jefferson	k-8	Nature- and Place-based	open
Kreiva Academy Public Charter School	Manchester	6-12	Project- and competency-based	open
Great Bay Charter School	Exeter	k-12	Project-based learning	not open for business yet
Next Charter School	Derry	9-12	Project-based learning	open
Polaris Charter School	Manchester	k-5	Project-based learning	open
Surry Village Charter School	Surry & Keene	k-8	Project-based learning	open
Academy for Science and Design Charter School	Nashua	5-12	STEM	waitlist
Windham Academy Public Charter School	Windham	k-8	STREAM: Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics	waitlist
Gathering Waters Chartered Public School	Keene	k-12	Waldorf	k,2,3,8 – waitlist other grades open
Northeast Woodland Chartered Public School	Conway	k-8	Waldorf	Prek,2,3,5 open 1,4,6-8 waitlist
Breakthrough Academy Chartered Public School	Mt Washington Valley area	k-12		not open for business yet
Synergy Academy Chartered Public School	Concord	9-12		not open for business yet

The schools generally make it easy for prospective students to visit. It would be good to take advantage of that.

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Education Option Fairs

We’re starting to plan EdOpt Fairs for the fall. Look for one in Deerfield and one in Keene late October or early November. Stay tuned!

Want to organize an expo in your area? Reply to this email or contact us if you want to help.

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EdOpt’s Goals

EdOpt’s aim is to help families understand all their education options, from non-traditional (homeschooling, homeschool co-ops, microschools) to traditional (charter schools, private schools, tech centers, dual enrollment, learn everywhere). Our website lists the education providers options around the state that we know about (please let us know if we’re missing any!) so you can investigate the ones that you’re interested in. EdOpt also provides guidance to help you understand your options. Set up an Education Options consultation today.

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