On a sunny Friday morning in December, the halls of Idlehurst Elementary School are peaceful. Laughter drifts from classrooms. Kindergarten students move confidently and joyfully to their next block, guided by proud teachers and classroom aides. The building feels calm and bright, an environment imbued with a sense of safety and belonging.
Idlehurst serves students from pre-K through second grade, the early elementary school of Somersworth, a tight-knit, working-class city of just over 12,000 residents, New Hampshire’s smallest city by land area. Here, schools are not just places of learning. They are the heart of the community, where neighbors know one another, diversity is embraced as a strength, and families rely on schools for stability, care, and connection.
Somersworth also holds a distinctive place in New Hampshire’s education history. In 1849, the city built the state’s first public high school, following passage of the Somersworth Act of 1848, which allowed municipalities to create centralized school districts. That legacy of educational leadership and community responsibility continues today. (If you love local history, read more here.)
The Somersworth School District serves 1,352 students across four schools: two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. It is one of the more diverse districts in the state, with approximately 6% multilingual learners and roughly 44% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. More information about the district can be found on the Somersworth School District website. More than an education system, Somersworth Public Schools function as a community anchor often serving students and families who need support the most.
Idlehurst is also a place where both the promise and the realities of public education are visible. A thriving pre-K program is outgrowing its space, while Head Start, an early childhood intervention program housed within the school and serving children with the greatest needs, faces the possibility of losing funding. Research consistently shows that access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education helps children and families thrive while saving public dollars over time. (See statewide context from New Futures’ Early Care & Education data and learn more about Head Start services here.)
Throughout the district, diversity is not treated as a talking point, but as a lived reality. In first-grade classrooms, students learn about holidays celebrated across cultures. In the gymnasium, flags representing the countries of students’ heritage hang overhead, creating a visual reminder that Somersworth’s strength lies in its people.
The school district is also one of the largest employers in the city, with approximately 265 employees, providing economic stability alongside education. Many educators and administrators have served the district for a decade or more, and some have chosen to return after leaving.
At Maplewood Elementary School, Assistant Principal Louise White left the district several years ago, only to return when the opportunity presented itself. She came back, she said, because the ethos of Somersworth was fundamentally different from where she had been. When asked what the district’s “special sauce” was, White echoed what many others expressed: she felt supported, safe, respected, heard, and valued. She wanted to work in a community school that actively lives those values.
That sense of care and shared purpose shows up in everyday moments. At Idlehurst, Associate Principal Kate Gove stepped in mid-morning to cover for a colleague, a small but telling example of how leadership shows up here. Across the district, educators consistently describe a culture where adults feel supported rather than isolated, and where that stability carries directly into classrooms.
That culture is especially visible in Mr. Eric Mommsen’s third-grade classroom at Maplewood, where the district’s longest-serving educator helps students see their place in the wider community. From trips to the local fire station to reading partnerships with eighth graders, Mr. Mommsen creates opportunities for students to connect beyond their classroom walls, building confidence, curiosity, and belonging. Civic learning is woven into daily instruction. Students study how local government works, hold mock elections, and practice democratic decision-making firsthand. When School Board Chair Maggie Larson visited the classroom, the excitement was palpable; a moment that underscored just how real civic leadership felt to these young learners.
At the middle school, students gather weekly for “Topper Time,” a space where teachers and students come together around shared passions, from building and creating to gaming and discussion. In the hallways, teachers display their own educational paths, helping students see the many futures available to them.
At Somersworth High School, led by Principal Chris Tebo, recently named New Hampshire Principal of the Year, students speak candidly about financial hardship, but without shame. Instead, they describe a community that comes together to face challenges with courage. When the district lost a student to suicide earlier this year, the school became a place of care and connection in the face of tragedy. Superintendent John Shea described Somersworth as “one of the toughest, most caring, and resilient communities anywhere.” (Read more in the Foster’s Daily Democrat article and explore district mental health resources here.)
Somersworth’s schools operate under significant financial strain. The district works within a $35 million budget, with approximately $13 million, nearly one-third, dedicated to special education, serving a community where more than 28% of students are economically disadvantaged. Rising healthcare costs have added further pressure. In a recent NHPR report, Superintendent Shea described the district as “down to the bone” after receiving a $672,000 unexpected healthcare bill, with little capacity to absorb the cost. (NHPR coverage here.)
Somersworth district leaders bring these numbers, and the lived realities behind them, directly to state policymakers, making clear that New Hampshire’s funding formula does not match the cost of educating high-needs students. As a result, communities like Somersworth are left to shoulder a disproportionate share of the responsibility through local property taxes. Maintaining current programs, staffing, and buildings would require breaking the city’s tax cap, placing an even greater burden on residents in a community where the tax rate is already nearly 25% higher than the state average.
Students are keenly aware of what those funding constraints mean. When asked what additional funding could make possible, high school students pointed to more robust programs, the ability to retain and hire qualified teachers, and expanded opportunities. One student put it plainly: “More funding could mean better opportunities for students who deserve it but can’t afford it.”
That sentiment reflects more than financial awareness, it reflects the culture of Somersworth itself. Students have absorbed the district’s core values: that education should be inclusive, that opportunity should not depend on a family’s ability to pay, and that schools exist to serve every child. In Somersworth, those beliefs are not just articulated by adults. They are lived, understood, and echoed by the students the system is designed to support.
Even amid these constraints, Somersworth continues to invest in the full lives of its students. One example is the district’s arts programming, led in part by Miles Burns, a chorus and theater teacher who grew up in Somersworth before returning to teach in the community that shaped him. Coming back, Burns said, has been grounding and powerful. Many of his closest friendships trace back to his years in Somersworth’s public schools. Now, he teaches the children of people he grew up with, alongside colleagues who were once his own teachers. “It really does feel like coming home,” he shared.
For Burns, theater and music are about creating environments where students feel comfortable enough to take risks and find their voice. He emphasizes process over perfection, building resilience, collaboration, and empathy. After years working in theater education outside traditional school settings, Burns began his first public school teaching job in Somersworth. What has stood out most, he said, is the consistency of leadership and the culture it creates: leaders who show up, hold people accountable, and support educators in building strong programs even within tight budgets.
Somersworth’s commitment to students is also visible through its Career and Technical Education programs, which offer nine distinct career pathways. In the Building Trades and Woodworking program, led by Mr. Shane Chick, students learn carpentry alongside literacy, data analysis, and future planning. (Explore programs at the Somersworth Career Technical Center.)
Somersworth faces a lot of challenges. And yet, students continue to thrive. Teachers and administrators stay. Graduates return to serve the community. From early childhood classrooms to career training and the arts, Somersworth’s public schools do more than educate. They hold a community together. As School Board Chair Maggie Larson notes, “our schools reflect the values of the communities they serve.” In Somersworth, those values are clear: honesty about challenges, authenticity in leadership, and an unwavering belief that every child deserves belonging, safety, support, and opportunity. The story of Somersworth is a reminder that public schools anchor entire communities, shaping not only students, but the future of the places they call home.
