The New School

This school is just the kind needed for every student who does not fit the cookie cutter learning style. It offers challenge and personalized direction one cannot find in large traditional high school settings. I wish this school was available in every region, and if I was wealthy this school would be my favorite phylanthropic cause.

Teaching at The New School has been the best experience of my 38 years in education. To be with students who are curious and love to learn is a joy. I have been able to indulge in my own love of learning by teaching subjects that I have longed to teach for many years, like Geography and Economics, or building a Greenhouse. Seeing young people thrive and grow and go on to make a real difference in the world is a joy. As a democratic school with a commitment to environmental stewardship, I feel the students here become active, productive citizens who really know how to solve problems and contribute to their communities. The school is a state approved high school and can accept tuition from towns without high schools.
—Submitted by a teacher

My son went all 4 years here. At one point we didnt think he would graduate High School. He has just graduated college! The New School is a wonderful place for kids to explore subject that they are interested in and learn the subjects they are not interested in also, but in a creative way.
—Submitted by a parent

The New School is a small private school in Kennebunk, Maine. It is a High School so it includes grades 9-12. You need 26 credits to graduate. For your senior year you have a senior project to do. We have no sports, but in the school there is a chance for students to make a team if they would like to. In this school we offer 5 languages, but if the students would like a different language they can mention it and maybe start a class. All students get to talk about any ideas they may have for the school to make the school a better and more comfortable place. Everyone in this school are like family, because you see everyone all day long. Here we offer the basic classes and also classes that are more advanced. The teachers try really hard to work one on one with students.
—Submitted by a student

This is a school where a student's initiative can take them a long way. The New School taught me that my education requires my involvement. Students and parents are very involved in school government. Classes are small and personalized: groups of students can even initiate classes for topics they want to study. There are three teachers plus Marylyn (the principal), but that doesn't include the community members who come into the school to teach everything from yoga to physics to greenhouse. Graduation from the New School was the best experience I've ever had in school. I presented my portfolio to a committee of my parents, friends, and teachers, demonstrating that I had met (and exceeded) standards set by the State of Maine for highschool graduates. I graduated in a class of six people, with a clear sense of who I am and what I had accomplished in highschool.
—Submitted by Rebecca White, a former student