Last Upated: January 19, 2023
Each spring, parents face one of the biggest decisions they can make for their child’s future: What school environment will their child will spend about 1,000 hours in next year?
Making that decision with confidence starts with knowing what options you have; you may have more school choices than you realize! Understanding these options can help you find a school where your child grows and learns to the best of their ability. New Hampshire families can choose from traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online academies, homeschooling, and learning pods.
Looking for special education options? You can learn what special education services are available in New Hampshire at the Ultimate Guide to Special Education.
Also, don’t forget that the New Hampshire Department of Education is currently offering Yes, Every Student scholarships to help students negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Students can receive $1000 for state-approved tutoring and special education services.
Most New Hampshire families choose traditional public schools. Districts operate these schools, which are free to attend, open to all students, and funded by taxpayers. New Hampshire spends, on average, $17,900 per public school student each year. You can search your school’s spending and that of nearby schools at Project Nickel.
In New Hampshire, the state allows each district to set its own open enrollment policies. Open enrollment refers to whether parents can send their children to any public school, regardless of where it is located. New Hampshire parents wanting to transfer their child to a different public school than the one they are assigned should contact their local school district to see if this is an option. In 2021, the state made this process more defined for parents if their student is experiencing “manifest educational hardship.”
For a real-world example of the transfer process and timeline in New Hampshire, check out Kearsarge Regional School District’s guidelines for transfer requests. In general, if the public school of choice is within the same district, transportation is provided. If it is in a different school district, parents are responsible for transportation. Open enrollment is a valuable form of public school choice because it widens parents options, ensuring that their zip code isn’t the sole determiner of their education.
Find out more about public schools in your state at the New Hampshire Department of Education.
Families in New Hampshire have another tuition-free option in charter schools. Like traditional public schools, charter schools are public, free, and usually have no requirements for entry. What distinguishes charter schools is that they have extra freedom to innovate with curriculum and learning methods. Public charter schools are accountable to authorizing entities, such as colleges or school districts, for results.
In New Hampshire, there are about 30 public charter schools that parents can choose from across the state. Each school has a charter which explains the school’s purpose and what specific community need it serves, whether that be providing a language immersion program or offering a rigorous, literacy-based curriculum. If there are more families seeking admittance to a charter school than there are seats, a lottery system is usually used to determine admittance.
You can learn about these options at the New Hampshire Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Depending on where you live in New Hampshire, you may also be able to consider a magnet school. Magnet schools are free public schools that allow kids to narrow in on a specific learning track, such as engineering or the performing arts. At a magnet school, all the subjects are taught through the lenses of that specific track.
Maple Street Magnet School is currently the only magnet school we are aware of in New Hampshire. Maple Street Magnet School’s unique focus is on community and sustainability. Students accepted to Maple Street Magnet School through its blind lottery can choose to attend the magnet school rather than their neighborhood school.
Families in New Hampshire can also consider private schools, nonpublic schools that charge tuition. Private schools may offer a unique curriculum, smaller class sizes, or a faith-based tradition. New Hampshire’s more than 280 private schools come in all shapes and forms, from religious schools to schools designed for children with special needs. Check out this directory of New Hampshire private schools.
Private school tuition can vary widely, but the state average is $11,369 for elementary schools and $28,989 for high schools. According to New Hampshire’s Town Tuitioning Program, if your town doesn’t have a district school at your grade level, your district will pay for your child to attend a public or private school in or outside of New Hampshire. As of 2021, this may include religious private schools.
In addition, students from a household where family income is less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level ($79,500 for a family of four in 2021-2022) can apply to the state’s tax credit program. Recipients of the program receive scholarships to use for private school tuition, tutoring, or other educational expenses.
Plus, in 2021, New Hampshire passed an “Education Freedom Account” program. This program allows low and middle-income students to receive funds to customize their education. The funds can be used to choose a private school, pay for tutoring or books, put toward educational therapy, and more.
Learn more at the Children’s Scholarship Fund-New Hampshire, Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Manchester, and Private School Review: New Hampshire.
Online learning is sometimes overlooked, but it offers a uniquely flexible learning environment that meets a variety of family needs. Whether your child wants to accelerate his or her learning or needs a quieter environment in which to focus, you may be interested in giving virtual school a try.
New Hampshire elementary, middle, and high school students can take courses free of charge, full- or part-time, at Virtual Learning Academy Charter. If there will be a gap between attendance at a student’s previous school and their start at the virtual school, the student must file a notice of intent at their local public school. Homeschoolers can take up to six credits per year through the Virtual Learning Academy Charter.
One feature that makes the Virtual Learning Academy Charter unique is that it is mastery-based: students progress based on mastery of learning content, rather than a fixed schedule.
To read more about online learning in New Hampshire, check out the Digital Learning Collaborative’s state profile.
You can also choose homeschooling, the process of parents educating students at home. Homeschooling is permitted in all 50 states and allows for a highly personal and customizable learning experience.
In New Hampshire, it is required that you provide notice of your intent to homeschool within 5 days of starting and/or if you move to a new school district. It is recommended that you formally withdraw so your student is not marked truant. If you decide to stop homeschooling, you must file a written notice of termination. In the case that you decide to return to public school, your student’s placement will be determined based on the documentation you provide.
The state requires homeschooling parents to teach specific subjects (including science, math, reading, and government) and also requires some level of assessment of homeschooled students. In New Hampshire, your homeschooled student might still be eligible to participate in sports or activities at the local public school – contact your district if you are interested in this option.
For more, check out a how-to about homeschooling in New Hampshire.
Micro-schools, pods, pandemic pods, and learning pods all refer to the same concept: students gathering together in a small group – with adult supervision – to learn, explore, and socialize. Pods themselves can take a variety of legal forms, but in general they can be separated into two categories: self-directed pod (homeschool, homeschool collaborative, or micro-school) and learning support pod. It’s important to understand what kind of pod you are signing up for and the requirements that go along with it. Learn more about learning pods.
If your learning pod or micro-school is choosing its own curriculum and each family is directing their own children’s schooling, it likely qualifies as a homeschool in New Hampshire. Read more about the requirements for homeschooling and get tips from HSLDA.
New Hampshire’s state commissioner of education has said that learning pods are permitted by New Hampshire law and families may have family members or friends supervise children in the parent’s absence.
If your learning pod contains more than two families and will have parents or other teachers leading unique classes just for your school, it may qualify as a private school. You can read more about what New Hampshire classifies as a private school, how they’re regulated, and how to start one.
If your child is enrolled in an existing online school or local public, charter, or private school, and uses that school’s curriculum under the supervision of an adult in a learning pod, you do not need to register as a homeschool or private school.
In New Hampshire, some school districts have partnered with Prenda to offer district-run learning support pods. The learning pods are being funded by a state grant and served about 100 students in the 2021-2022 school year.
For homeschool students and virtual school students in New Hampshire, KaiPod Learning offers free learning support pods. Students attending “KaiPods” receive opportunities to socialize, collaborate, and receive educational support while completing their chosen curriculum.
For additional information about school choices in New Hampshire, visit these resources:
Explore School Choice. Get a free School Choice Snapshot for your state.
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