About NHCS

Neighborhood House Charter School (NHCS) is a tuition-free open enrollment charter school for grades K1-12 in Dorchester that is a public alternative to traditional district schools.

We are a school for all children. With nearly 800 scholars across two campuses, we offer a full spectrum of programs at NHCS: general education and full-inclusion as well as partial-inclusion and substantially-separate programs for small groups of scholars with significant disabilities, ensuring that we are able to meet the diverse needs of a wide range of scholars. Our low scholar-to-teacher ratio and inclusive community means that every scholar, regardless of need, engages fully with adults and peers each day and completes grade-level work or work at an individually-appropriate level where applicable.

Social-emotional support is prioritized for all scholars, allowing them to reach their full potential in the classroom.

Our goal is to graduate scholars who achieve academically, but we know that scholars need more than academic skills to achieve success. Neighborhood House students are scholars who are prepared to face their futures as learners who seek knowledge, embrace effort, act thoughtfully and commit to the common good. Our program integrates rich and structured learning with comprehensive social/emotional support to develop in scholars: 1) academic content knowledge and core skills like critical thinking and communication, 2) social/emotional resiliency, and 3) a sense of civic duty and a moral compass.

Watch our new videos to learn how NHCS is equipping our scholars with the tools they need to succeed in and lead for a rapidly changing and more equitable future.

What is a Charter Public School?

Charter public schools are an important part of Massachusetts public school system. They are tuition-free and have an enrollment process that treats all students equally. Charter public schools operate under five-year “charters” granted by the Commonwealth’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, which renews their charters every five years. These agreements allow charter public schools to operate independently from the local school district in order to have greater flexibility in how they approach key areas of school life, including: curriculum design, staffing, teacher leadership, professional development, and school culture. 

Charter public schools are held to the highest accountability standard of any public school in Massachusetts. They are governed by public boards of trustees, and like district public school committees, charter public school boards in the Commonwealth are subject to the open meeting law, conflict of interest law, and public records requirements. Charter public schools are often proposed and established by teachers, school leaders, parents, and other members of the community.

The best public education systems support all kids in reaching their full potential, and charter public schools are part of the formula that has given Massachusetts the top-performing public schools in the country.

To learn more, please visit https://masscharterschools.org/get-the-facts/.