The Cornerstone School was incorporated in December 1985 as a non-profit organization with the goal of meeting the growing need for a non-traditional private preschool and elementary experience in the seacoast region in New Hampshire. Parents of Montessori students immediately joined to establish the school and continued to work in support of the school's mission.

Classes were first in session in September of 1986. The school opened with two classes: one primary and one elementary. The founding, student body was comprised of forty-two students ranging in age from two and one half to twelve years of age. We have added to the original classroom building to accommodate our growth at all levels and provide a quality before and after school care setting for our students. In 1992, additional class space was completed to house the expansion of the elementary program. The Common Room/Gymnasium and classrooms were opened to students in the winter of 1997.

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Although we have enjoyed rapid growth, we are committed to a school which is small enough to maintain a feeling of community. Ultimately, we hope to house approximately 140 students in the facility at High Street. This number will allow diversity within both the student body and faculty. Thus we can maintain individual attention and foster the development of each child in our care.

While the faculty maintains individual memberships in several different organizations, the school is affiliated with the American Montessori Society (AMS). In order to qualify for that standing, the school must meet national standards for the faculty and the facility.

Consultations must be executed biannually with AMS to assure the necessary ongoing dialogue which promotes professional growth. Currently, Cornerstone has been invited to be part of the joint Montessori-Independent Schools effort to prepare the appropriate certification process for Montessori schools within the National Independent School body.