Our featured speaker for the May 19th Rotary meeting was Fiona Byrne, Dean of Curriculum and Instruction at local public school, Lionheart Classical Academy in Peterborough. She described the growth of Lionheart, now in its fourth year as a chartered public school operating under regulations established by the State Department of Education.

 

Admissions to Lionheart are conducted by lottery and are open to New Hampshire residents regardless of town, income, or financial circumstances. As a state-authorized charter school, Lionheart receives approximately $9,550 per student from the state, significantly less than traditional district schools because it does not receive local property tax revenue. Lionheart’s projected operating costs for the coming school year are about $10,700 per student, with the remaining $1,150 per student raised through fundraising efforts.

 

As a classical school, Lionheart teaches a classical liberal arts curriculum that emphasizes literature, history, mathematics, science, language, and the pursuit of wisdom and virtue. Lionheart’s mission focuses on training the minds and inspiring the hearts of their students.

 

Current enrollment is approximately 350 students in grades K–8, with two sections per grade and three kindergarten sections. Lionheart’s charter permits the school to serve students in grades K–12, and it will continue expanding this coming school year to include ninth grade. The upper grades will be housed at Lionheart’s new campus on Route 101, at the former Next Level Church property between Peterborough and Dublin.