To say that the Acorn School isn’t your typical pre-K and kindergarten would be an understatement. At any given time, you could find yourself walking through a Native American Village, U.S. post office, Serengeti plains or an ocean abyss – the kinds of classrooms that not only engage a child’s creative capacities, but make the process of learning as fun as possible.

​

Launched in 1972 by Rebecca Shepard, Acorn found its permanent home when it purchased a plot of land in Stratham, New Hampshire in 1975. In 1987, the school officially became a nonprofit, with a volunteer Board of Directors including parents of current and former students. Through the years, Acorn has remained steadfast in its efforts to maintain a low student-to-teacher ratio, providing more one-on-one interaction, communication, and personal growth.

​

Today, the school uses its beautiful surroundings to help forge a curriculum and philosophy aimed at stirring within their students an appreciation for the natural world. From their comprehensive commitment to the 3 Rs – reduce, reuse, and recycle – to composting and maintaining a robust garden, Acorn’s green focus promises to be an educational staple for years to come. Meanwhile, their beautiful outdoor tree house classroom – built with the help of Little Green Homes, and dedicated to the memory of Candy Ray, a former teacher – gives students a chance to make nature a classroom they’ll never forget.

​

Forty years after first opening its doors, the Acorn School continues to serve as a beacon of early childhood education here on the Seacoast. Located in Stratham, Acorn touts an incredible, diverse curriculum, where finger painting and drawing meld seamlessly with Lego-building and sign language. From science to theater, world culture to creative arts, music to creative writing, no educational stone is left unturned. The result is a philosophy where the emphasis is “on the process, rather than the product” – where learning is an adventure more about the journey than the destination.