Mission:

The Community School's mission is to educate young people so that each student may become a valued and contributing member of his or her community. To this end, the Community School explores a diversity of thinking, including traditional college preparatory disciplines, creative thinking, and experiential learning. Students frequently apply their learning to real problems in the surrounding community and environment.

History of The Community School

1989 : Martha and Rudy Carlson open the school in their Sandwich home with nine students. A Board of Directors establishes Sandwich Community School Inc. as a non-profit corporation. The IRS recognizes the school as a 501{c}3 organization. The New Hampshire Department of Education approves the school for enrollment. Martha Carlson, the single fulltime employee, teaches with parttime French teacher Jean Brown and school nurse Fran Mauch. The budget is $45,000.

1992 : The Community School purchases the Perkins Farm, 307 acres on the Bearcamp River. The farm is protected by a conservation easement, permanently protecting the forests and fields for public access. The school reconstructs the old farmhouse as a modern classroom building. The first two students graduate.

1994 : The school wins candidacy for accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The school's forests are certified as an American tree farm.