Educational opportunities on the Cape abound. From Montessori preschools through colleges, the Cape matches its rich natural environment with an equal wealth of academic offerings. Excellent public schools prepare students for an academic career anywhere in the United States, including at Ivy League or top-ranked state and private colleges. Two private high schools, Cape Cod Academy and Falmouth Academy, also are known for preparing students for higher education. The technical schools here offer a well-regarded vocational education, and several colleges, including Cape Cod Community College in Barnstable offer extension courses. The arts are highly valued on the Cape, and specialized schools offer both residents and short-term visitors exciting classes in the visual arts, theater, and creative writing.
Just about every town on the Cape offers continuing education enrichment classes for adults and stimulating nondegree programs for senior citizens. Community school programs in most towns provide all ages with academic and recreational opportunities, and, befitting the region’s maritime tradition, two educational programs dedicated to the sea are located here: Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay and the Sea Education Association Semester (SEAS) offered at Woods Hole.
For younger learners, there are a number of preschool and child care centers available. We’ll begin with a rundown of the Cape’s public schools, then move on to private schools, preschools, and child care centers. We’ll outline here how many schools and students each town has, but enrollments in many Cape schools have declined sharply in recent years and could continue to do so. For the most detailed, up-to-date information go to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Web site (http://profiles.doe.mass.edu) and search for a particular school. All the data listed below was taken from the department’s Web site for 2008 and 2009.