Next Charter School

What Next Charter School does

Next Charter School is a tuition-free, public charter high school located in Derry, New Hampshire, serving approximately 80 students across grades 9-12. Founded through a 2012 founding partnership with the Derry Cooperative School District (DCSD) and officially authorized by the NH State Board of Education in June 2012, the school opened in August 2013 with 30 students. It operates as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees, and its mission explicitly targets students not fully served within traditional high school programs. The school employs approximately 11 staff and operates out of leased space within the Gilbert H. Hood Middle School facility under a long-term arrangement with DCSD.

The school's core educational product is a fully competency-based system in which students progress at their own pace by demonstrating mastery rather than accumulating seat-time or letter grades. This platform integrates three pillars: project-based learning, a mandatory Capstone Internship Program structured across Exploration, Site Placement, Capstone Experience, and Defense phases, and a Social & Emotional Learning curriculum. Students receive an individualized learning plan with a faculty advisor and operate in class sizes of 10-12. The capstone is supported by 50+ community partners including DEKA Research, Analog Devices, Concord Hospital, Tufts University, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen's office. Additional partnerships with Pinkerton Academy grant access to electives and athletics, and with the Community College System of New Hampshire enable Running Start / Early College credit. Graduates earn a NH state-approved diploma by demonstrating competencies rather than completing credit hours; 109 students have graduated over the school's first nine years.

Next's business model is that of a publicly funded charter school: revenue is derived from NH per-pupil state education allocations rather than tuition, supplemented by tax-deductible donations through a 501(c)(3) structure. Distribution is direct-to-consumer within southeastern New Hampshire via online application, an in-person fit meeting, and a lottery when applications exceed available seats. The school expanded its physical footprint in 2015 and again in 2025 within the same host facility. Marketing is community-led — relying on word-of-mouth, DCSD referrals, alumni testimonials, and prospective family visits rather than paid advertising.

Name

Next Charter School

Legal name

Next Charter School

Website

https://nextcharterschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Next Charter School is a tuition-free, public charter high school in Derry, NH, serving approximately 80 students in grades 9-12 through a competency-based, project-based, and internship-driven curriculum for learners underserved by traditional high schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charter High School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Charter Schools (Single-Site) (EDAJACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Charter Alternative & At-Risk Schools (Continuation, Credit Recovery, Juvenile) (EDAJACAE), Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

Keywords

• Public charter high school
• Competency-based education
• Project-based learning
• Alternative secondary education
• Personalized learning programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Derry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Charter School Funding: As a public charter school, Next is funded through state education funding mechanisms. It is a tuition-free, open-enrollment school, meaning revenue comes from per-pupil state funding rather than tuition payments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Next Charter School is a tuition-free, open-enrollment public charter high school serving grades 9-12 in Derry, NH. It delivers competency-based education where students progress at their own pace by demonstrating mastery rather than accumulating seat-time. The school serves approximately 80 students with small class sizes of 10-12, supported by personalized learning plans, a mandatory Capstone Internship Program with community partners, project-based learning, and social-emotional learning components.

Product overview

Next Charter School is a tuition-free, public charter high school offering a unified educational program built around competency-based learning. The core offering is personalized, project-based education where students progress at their own pace. Key program components include the mandatory Capstone Internship Program, Social & Emotional Learning curriculum, and extensive clubs & activities. The school serves approximately 80 students and issues each student a laptop computer (1:1 program). All graduates earn a NH state-approved diploma through demonstrating competencies rather than seat-time. Post-secondary preparation is integrated through partnerships with local colleges and the Community College System of NH.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Competency-Based Education (CBE) A personalized learning approach where students progress at their own pace by demonstrating competency rather than seat-time, moving on when they are competent rather than when a semester or year ends. Targeted at high school students seeking alternatives to traditional grading systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 109 graduates over 9 years, many enrolled in colleges and vocational programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pinkerton AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partnership allowing Next students to enroll in elective courses, play sports, and engage in extracurricular activities on Pinkerton's campus. Supports students seeking additional academic and athletic opportunities.
• Derry Cooperative School District (DCSD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Founding partnership between charter school and traditional school district. DCSD administrative team and school board members formed the founding board. Long-term facility lease at Gilbert H. Hood Middle School. Derry district provides special education services for students.
• DEKA Research & DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience and technology industry partner supporting capstone program internships for students.
• Analog Devices, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology industry partner providing capstone internship opportunities in science and technology fields.
• Community College System of New HampshirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership allowing Next students to begin earning college credits in their junior year through Running Start/Early College Program classes.
• Concord HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare industry partner providing capstone internship opportunities for students interested in health careers.
• Tufts UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education partner providing educational support and internship opportunities.
• Senator Jeanne Shaheen HeadquartersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolitical/government partner providing capstone internship experiences in politics and government.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Big Picture Learning: Network of small, personalized high schools built around project-based learning, internships, and individualized learning plans — directly mirroring Next's competency-based, capstone-internship approach.
• High Tech High: San Diego-based network of small project-based high schools emphasizing real-world work and internships; operates at comparable small-school scale with a similar pedagogical philosophy to Next.
• Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center: Providence, RI public alternative high school emphasizing personalized learning, internships, and flexible pacing — a closely comparable alternative public high school model serving students not fully served by traditional schools.

Broad incumbents

• BASIS Charter Schools: Large charter school network focused on rigorous college-prep academics; broader incumbent competing for the same alternative-college-prep charter demographic, though with a more traditional curricular approach.
• Success Academy Charter Schools: Large NYC-based charter school network operating tuition-free public schools with a college-prep focus; broader incumbent in the public charter school space, though operating at much greater scale.
• KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program): National charter school network operating many small, college-prep public charter schools; broader incumbent in the same charter school category with overlapping college-readiness mission.

Emerging players

• The Greater Commonwealth: Massachusetts-based organization supporting the creation of new small, student-centered public schools; thematically aligned to Next's model and a potential enabler of future replication of the model in neighboring states.

Regional players

• Seacoast Charter School: Dover, NH public charter school providing alternative K–8 education; comparable as another NH charter school serving families seeking non-traditional public education, though at different grade levels.
• Academy for Science and Design: NH-based public charter high school in Merrimack serving grades 6–12 with a STEM focus; same NH public charter operating context as Next, though with a different curricular emphasis.
• Boston Day and Evening Academy: Boston alternative public charter high school explicitly serving students not thriving in traditional schools; a strong regional comparable for Next's mission and competency-based orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/next-charter-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Next Charter School