Seacoast Charter School

The Seacoast Charter School is no longer going to be located in Kingston, NH. The school is looking to move to Dover, NH for the fall of 2015.

We LOVE Seacoast Charter School! Our children have attended there for 4 years and it was the best choice we could have ever made for their education and for our family. The teachers are all so dedicated to our school and the music and art programs are TOP NOTCH! We do have to do a lot of fundraising, but it is so worth every minute! Our children actually cry when they can't go to school and would love to go all summer if they could. They love it there and love all of the staff, especially our principal! I don't know what we would do without this school. It is the BEST!!!

So blessed to have found this school for my daughter! She has been struggling in public school and is gifted. As a struggling family, we could never afford a private special school for her and Seacoast Charter is perfect for her needs. She loves art and music and they have such wonderful programs to encourage that!!!

This is why I 5 star this school . Both my children are flourishing Academically and emotionally here and they are learning more than I could have hoped for. They are respectfull to adults and children, they are learning strings and actually are enjoying playing, one plays the Chello and one plays the violin. I am so grateful that we have charter schools available every child learns differently, My children seem to be happier in learning with the Seacoast Charter School. Teachers are absolutely wonderful here at a SCS they go above and beyond what they should do.

There are so many positive affects that the Seacoast Charter School is doing not only are they teaching children from surrounding towns, Music and Arts which studies had shown they are key to children's development. Involvement in the arts and Music is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. Learning the Arts can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork. I know some people may not put a good review in that's why you need to see for yourself you will not be disappointed.

When going to vote on the property I am impressed by the students. The students are always respectful and when you see them outside they are always playing, exploring and working together. You never see students being excluded or cliches you see everyone always involving each other. They are never whining or complaining they just seem happy. I know it sounds simple but they seem just as happy to go back inside as they do to be outside. The teachers are always engaging and listing to the students. The other added benefit is hearing the music coming from the building or random children singing. Things like you don't see much anymore.

Seacoast Charter School has been a wonderful community for my child. He and many others have thrived here. The school is arts integrated which means that creativity, problem solving and critical thinking capacities of the students are being developed. This is an approach to education that considers the whole child. The faculty are able to take a more caring and gentle approach to education than is usually allowed in most other public schools who have a lot of pressure to “make” kids learn. There is a level of trust and respect that you don't usually feel in a public school. The current Head of School, Peter Durso, brings many years of experience and professionalism to this school. He truly cares about the children and it really shows. They all love him!

SCS was chosen by the NH Department of Education to participate in a program called PACE which stands for Performance Assessment of Competency Education. http://education.nh.gov/assessment-systems/pace.htm
Teachers develop assessments that look at individual abilities and achievements through a more project based program instead of just using standardized testing. This has been a really wonderful thing for my son who – like many other children – does not do well in a high pressure testing environment. The school's arts-based curriculum is perfect for enabling students to be successful in a non-testing assessment. I think we will see a lot more schools adopting this sort of approach in the future.

It is true that the school has struggled with funding – as has every other charter school in NH – because even though they are public schools, charters receive only 40% of what most other districts spend to educate the children of their town. (Currently there is a bill at the State House that would give charters a much needed raise). What the school has done with limited funds is amazing and a testament to the dedication of the teachers and the effectiveness of the integrated arts curriculum. I cannot say enough about how much the arts have helped my child academically as well as helping him discover his different capacities. I am so thankful. Bravo!

My daughter has been going to SCS past year. Small classes and teacher dedication is very impressive and a huge benefit towards learning for her. Unlike the past, every day is a good day . Art and music intergraded into academic study adds diversity and excitement for the students. Seacoast Charter School offers diversity which adds to enthusiasm for each pupil. We are willing to drive the distance in hopes to continue more years with this school.

Seacoast Charter School's teachers have the gift of enriching a child’s creative thought while magically nourishing their soul. I could not have dreamed for a better school.

An amazing school that nurtures the kids in ways many other schools don't seem able to. The teachers are all enthusiastic, full of energy, and care deeply about all in their classes. I have seen my two kids flourish here and cannot thank everyone at the Seacoast Charter School enough for their dedication to all the children. The move to a new location has brought out the best in the school community that believes in the arts integrated learning mission. The unprecedented amount of funds raised show how much everyone involved in the school values the strong commitment of all to the success of the students, teachers and school.

As a parent of three very different children who all flourished at this school I would recommend it highly to anyone looking for an education for their child that will not just teach them facts and cater to standardized testing but teach them to be creative individuals who seek to constantly evolve and learn. Here my children have learned to persevere, strive for their best and have been constantly challenged. Graduation for eighth grade was last night and it was amazing to me to see the connections these teachers have with their students. They truly love these kids. If you are looking for a school that is like a family- one that sticks together and works together through good times and bad- this is the place. I can think of no more valuable a lesson for my children to learn in life.

Great School, amazing teachers and staff! My daughter has excelled academically, socially, and emotionally there! We are so glad it was available to us.

Seacoast Charter School is an amazing inovative school for children K-8. The children there learn while still participating in the arts on a weekly basis. Through art, music, and theatre they have an approach to leanring like no other.

It is a family community of learning thoughout all grades. Each grade working cooperately to acheive outstanding goals. The children there are happy and learning far beyond the expectations of their grade levels.

We feel blessed that our granddaughter is a student at Seacoast Charter School!

SCS has had hiccups along the way as they navigate as the longest running charter school in NH and enrollment continues to grow year after year.. When your budget is 5k per student compared to 15k per student is it a huge difference. Yet year after year the school has survived turning out great students who are thriving at the opportunity to attend an art and music integrated public school. There are no secrets when you come tour the school in explaining everything that is going on. We have incredibly strong community of students and parents who work very hard to make sure everyone is included. There is jealous by some of the surrounding communities that a school with such a small budget can do such an amazing job and have such a strong community. The school was also selected by the state and federal level to participate in new systems of student evaluations which is a very high honor. Each child is given an individually learning plan that is set by the student, parents and teachers with realist goals that help foster a life long desire to learn, work together and help the community. I love the all school meetings on Friday and how there is so much support when each person has there turn to present through the school year. There is never anyone making fun of anyone even if someone makes a mistake or whatever they are always cheered on and you will see students throughout the day in all grades giving praise. The challenges the school has been facing have been used as an opportunity to strength our community and most importantly teaching our kids to do more with less and fight for what you believe in. You loose nothing by considering a charter school, this isn't a tuition private education it is a public school that does seek donations but can not and will not exclude anyone because of that. Check us out and see for yourself!

My daughter just finished her first year at Seacoast Charter School (SCS) and I am pleased that the school exceeded my expectations.
A few items that stick out for me:
1. They hold a whole school meeting every Friday where 2-3 classes present in front of the whole school. To me it is fantastic that she is already learning to speak in front of 250 other students, plus teachers and parents, holding a microphone at such an early age.
2. I love that art is integrated in all of the subjects, helping them concretize the learnings. For instance when learning about light and shadows, they did a piece of art where the moon is reflecting off a body of water and another piece where a grove of birch trees is casting shadows on the ground.

Like any school, it is what one puts into it. She started reading this year and is already reading one full school year ahead (per Scholastic book's reading level charts).

On our tour of the school prior to going, I remember a parent saying that her son was shy and a wallflower prior to going and that at SCS he found his voice. She said he still feels shy but now speaks up in spite of that.

I look forward too to 3rd grade and above when all of the students are required to take a musical string instrument. My daughter in the past was resisting piano lessons (even though she was good), but think that once all of her friends are taking class with her, she will be excited.

While the school is having some bumps on finding a new location, it's worth the bumps.

My two children attend SCS and they are thriving. They love, love, love their school and are actually quite upset that the school year is ending. I remember that I couldn't wait to get out for summer! We are constantly amazed by what they are learning. One of my children struggled with math earlier in the year and now she actually tells me it's fun. To watch them play their instruments together is such a joy. They express their creativity through their amazing art work. The other thing they learn is how to present their work to their classroom or sometimes the whole school and to also work in teams. There are no rows of desks with kids just being lectured. They can actually interact with adults with confidence. Real life skills. They want to be there, they want to learn and they want to work hard. That is the environment this school fosters. What more could you ask? In recent years there has definitely been turmoil but now there is now a great administration with head of school, Mr. Durso. There is also a solid, engaged school board. It's very difficult to look at the past couple of administrations and what happened and compare it to where the school is now. Apples and oranges. There is a particular culture and style to SCS and not everyone can fit that mold but now SCS is back where it should be. SCS is a place where you get out of it what you put into it. SCS depends on the community to succeed. This means volunteering and fundraising. It means being part of your child's education. The way the community has rallied around the school's need to move and fund-raise to stay open says a lot about how parents and children feel most. It's a community. It's a family. Sometimes it takes some adversity to get people motivated. Scarcity breeds innovation. I continue to be impressed by the amount of time and effort administration, staff, parents and students are willing to put into this. Some might spin this as negative but when everyone cares this much it's obvious there is something very special here. Yes, the new space will cost more but since we're all being asked to "read the minutes" also notice there are plans to move forward, organize and meet the challenge. At SCS my children thrive. They want to be there, work hard and learn. They express their creativity through their work. They love their school. I couldn't ask for more.

I have two children at SCS - a 3rd grader and a 6th grader, and this is their 4th year at the SCS. SCS is an arts-integrated charter school, but this does not mean that it is a school for artists or even artistically-inclined kids. By embracing the arts and teaching through the arts, the children experience what they are learning using all of their senses. No matter what their individual strengths or natural proclivities are, by teaching through all of the arts, every child finds a connection to at least one aspect of the lesson and their learning blossoms. The arts pervade everything the children do at school. If they are studying Native Americans, they are learning about Native American art in their art classes (which are 2-3 times a week). They are learning about Native American music in their music classes (also 2 -3 times a week). They are learning about Native American dance and storytelling, and the list goes on. Our children have become creative problem solvers and multidimensional thinkers thanks to the teachers at the SCS. My eldest was a "square peg" at our local public school, and when we went to the SCS, he was no longer alone. This school has star kids and square kids, round kids, oval kids, and rectangle kids. And even better – the teachers are all of those things as well, and everyone fits. What results is a culture of understanding, acceptance, and joy. As a parent, I cannot imagine a better school.

Seacoast Charter School is a wonderful place where kids are accepted for who they are and the teachers respect the kids and meet them where they are. Kids get what they need in this amazing community. I love the feeling of the school when I walk into the building. My kids have excelled academically, because so many of the social pressures do not exist at SCS.

Seacoast Charter School is an amazing school that should not have just 4 stars! Here's why:
-The teachers. They're dedicated, and make learning new things easy in the classes. They help students who are behind, and give more challenging assignments to students that are ahead.
-The arts program. My class has 4 hours of art a week, and 3 hours of music a week. And though SCS is a charter school, we get the same amount of work as a public school, and have the core subjects.
-The community. Seacoast Charter School has no bullies, or people who are excluded- it's actually one of the main rules. A lot of my classmates and friends came to SCS because they were bullied or didn't fit in. They made a lot of friends here, and thrive, like myself. The entire school is so connected, too, especially during the Whole School Meetings on Fridays, where classes share what they have been working on for 30 minutes. It's open to the public too, and a good way to see what younger and older kids have been working on.
The kids at SCS don't wear uniforms, which does not take away from their learning at all. It lets kids express themselves, and they're not judged by the way they dress at all.
Though students call teachers by their first names, it really doesn't take away anything from academics. Some people say that it's not respectful, but the teachers are fine being called their first names and it lets kids connect with them. It's most likely a matter of opinion.
Seacoast Charter School accepts anyone and everyone, and has a great learning plan with after-school clubs and before/after care. And though it is an arts and music school, students do not miss out on any important things such as Gym, the core subjects, and the same amount of work. I highly recommend it!