Notable among the offerings of the Concord School District are the Artist-in-the-Schools Program, which brings professionals into the classroom to teach their crafts, and the Environmental Education Program, which is supplemented by a centrally located Science Center and the thirty-acre White Farms classroom. The Concord Regional Vocational Center is located on the premises of Concord High School. Concord High School/Area 11 Vocational Center offers training in the requirements of high-technology companies. Every classroom in the district, from Kindergarten through 12th grade, is equipped with Internet access.
The following is a summary of data regarding the Concord public schools as of the 2003–2004 school year.
Total enrollment: 5,358
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 9
junior high/middle schools: 1
senior high schools: 1
Student/teacher ratio: 15.5:1
Teacher salaries (2003-2004)
minimum: $29,757
maximum: $52,373
Funding per pupil: $8,593
Concord's parochial facilities include two Catholic schools (one elementary/junior high school and one high school) and a Christian school. Its Episcopal school, St. Paul's Preparatory, is one of the most famous feeder schools for Harvard, Yale, and Princeton universities.
Public Schools Information: Administrative Offices, Concord School District, 16 Rumford Street, Concord, NH 03301; telephone (603)225-0811
Concord is home to the Franklin Pierce Law Center (Franklin Pierce College's Continuing Education campus) and the New Hampshire Technical Institute. Founded in 1973, the Franklin Pierce Law Center's aim is to help students of diverse backgrounds develop as attorneys in a non-competitive atmosphere. The center promotes a strong sense of community responsibility in its graduates. The New Hampshire Technical Institute, a public two-year college, offers associate's degrees in engineering, business, health, and computer science. Manchester-based Hesser College offers courses at its Concord campus in the Gateway Office Center in South Concord. The college is best known for its criminal justice program, in which graduates go on to work in law enforcement, probation and parole or corrections. Other degree programs offered include business, early childhood education and computer sciences.
The Concord Public Library system consists of the main library, the Penacook Branch Library, and a bookmobile. The system holds more than 150,000 volumes, which include an extensive periodical collection, DVDs and video recordings, and audio books. The Concord Room at the main library is a research facility with materials about local history. Framed prints, reproductions, and photographs are displayed throughout the library. The library has an extensive children's collection and a youth program promotes reading by the young. Special services for cardholders include interlibrary loans and Internet training.
Located in Concord and boasting more than 500,000 volumes are the New Hampshire State Library, the oldest in the country, and the State Supreme Court Law Library. The Franklin Pierce Law Center Library adds another 220,000 volumes to the area's overall legal holdings. Collections in the State Library cover transportation, pollution, public utilities, and statistical and historical resources. Other special interest libraries in Concord include the Governor's Office of Energy and Community Service library, the New Hampshire Historical Society Library, which specializes in genealogy and rare documents, and the Patent, Trademark and Copyright Research Foundation Library. The Ohrstrom Library on the campus of St. Paul's School is housed in a graceful building that combines Gothic influences with the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Research centers in the city include New Hampshire Chapter of Nature Conservancy research library which focuses on rare plants and animals, and the PTC Research Foundation of Franklin Pierce Law Center which studies practical problems dealing with industrial and intellectual property.
Public Library Information: Concord Public Library, 45 Green Street, Concord, NH 03301; telephone (603)225-8670