Thornton Central School - Thornton, NH

Thornton Central School believes that all students can achieve at high levels. This small town school located at the base of the White Mountains ensures students will have small class sizes with a strong emphasis on high student achievement with access to the latest technology and the arts. A teacher leadership team ensures that curriculum, instruction, and assessment are implemented with complete fidelity by regularly meeting to analyze student data, collaborate on common pacing for core subject areas, and to create curriculum maps to ensure vertical alignment in all grades. All students benefit from participating in art, music, technology, guidance, and physical education.

The school has proven that their methods in direct instruction and targeted intervention work by their evidence on high test scores in both math and reading on both state and district wide assessments over many years. The Principal of the school is highly effective by honoring a culture of high academic expectations, collaboration, and shared leadership among staff. The teachers take pride on personalizing learning for students and they participate in specific professional development to promote the school goals.

The school board and community promote what is best for students by providing all the resources needed for the optimum learning environment. For example, students in the middle school grades have had 1-1 devices for the past five years to ensure universal design for learning so all students can learn based on their personal learning styles. Thornton is a great place to be! Just ask the kids....