Our Mission..

is to provide a rigorous academic program based on the Montessori philosophy and rooted in the history, culture, and ecology of the Merrimack River Valley. Students will reach their full potential as scholars and become self-reliant, productive members of society. They will be adept at critical thinking and creative problem solving and will be fully prepared to succeed in future schools, careers, and civic life.

Enrollment Information

Welcome to the River Valley Charter School Enrollment Process!

Please read the procedures required for admission listed below, and note that a utility bill must be submitted with your child's application. The utility bill serves as proof of residency, and River Valley must have this information before an application can be put through the enrollment lottery.

You may download the enrollment forms from this Web site.

If you have any questions about the process, please call the school office at 978-465-0065 for information.

River Valley Charter School complies with all applicable Commonwealth and Federal Law having to do with non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (M. G. L. c 76, s.5), race, color or national origin (Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964); sex (Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972); or disability (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) in educational programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance.

Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in the River Valley Charter School. Each fall, we have openings for approximately 32 five-year-old children in our Kinderhaus class and potentially a few in the other age groups up through our Middle School, which is a seventh- and eighth-grade program. We accept applications throughout the year and process them in a lottery held in February.

The following procedures are required for admission:

1. File an application and
2. Provide proof of residency* (utility bill) for each student applying. Only apply one time. Once you are on the Wait List, there is no need to reapply..

In addition, the following are encouraged:

1. Attend a school information meeting, including a tour of the school.
2. Observe a classroom.

*It is your responsibility to notify the school of a change of residence or contact information should it occur before the lottery or during the time that you are on the Wait List.

In the lottery, applications are selected in a ranked order for entrance into the school. When there are more applicants than openings in a given age group, the additional names are maintained on a Wait List. The categories of the Wait List are:
Sibling: applicants who are siblings of current students; General: applicants from chartered region (Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, and West Newbury); and Non-Resident: residents of Massachusetts out of chartered region.

Offers are made verbally and/or in writing, and written responses are required within one week. For an application package, please download the materials above, or contact RVCS.