The Cottage School

The Cottage School is a multicultural, non-sectarian and non-selective learning community that values and fosters the children's spirit of discovery to sustain their innate abilities and passion for learning.
We create a non-competitive environment where creativity and the joy for learning are nurtured.

Quick Stats (2024)

  • School Type: Alternative School
  • Grades: Nursery/Preschool-8
  • Enrollment: 20 students
  • Application Deadline: None / Rolling
  • Source: Verified school update

School Overview

Grades Offered
Grades Nursery/Preschool-8
Year Founded
2002

Student Body

Total Students
20 students
Student Body Type
Co-ed
Students by Grade
The Cottage School Student By Grade

Academics and Faculty

Total Classroom Teachers
6 teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
3:1
National avg.: 13:1

Tuition and Acceptance Rate

Admission Deadline
None / Rolling

Extracurriculars

Total ExtracurricularsTotal Extra-curric.
3 extracurriculars
ExtracurricularsExtra-curric.
Club or Organization:
Foreign Language Enrichment

Arts and Music Programs:
Spanish & Art Summer Program

Recreational Athletic Programs:
Physical Education Enrichment

School Notes

Organic education embraces the natural desire to learn that comes from within the child when the child is intrinsically motivated.
  • Respecting the child`s natural development and pace
  • Considering individual needs, desires, passions, and ways of learning
  • Supporting all areas of the child`s development: physical, social-affective and cognitive.
  • Teaching through immersion to learn organically, to learn from the whole
The Cottage School teaches children ages 2 through 14, with its unique, well-established education programs for Mommy/Daddy and Me Group, Playgroup,Preschool, Young K - K, and 1st through 8th Grade. Classes in Spanish, Mandarin, French, and German language immersion are offered.

A core belief at The Cottage School is that foreign languages and art, in all forms, be it visual arts, music, dance, poetry, imaginative play or drama, positively influence children in their physical, affective and cognitive development, their desire to learn and their love for school. The Cottage School answers the communities` calls for a creative, academically outstanding, and affordable alternative to existing private and public schools in Somerset, Hunterdon, and Morris counties.The school has a non-discriminatory policy and accepts students on a year-round, non-selective basis.

The Cottage School develops a love of learning, free of pressure and sustained by a spirit of discovery at a pace that accompanies the students. The teachers respect and feed the child's innate sense of curiosity, fostering a life-long passion for learning. Children naturally seek information and our school honors the child's natural abilities to learn from the whole. Students are induced by the presentation of suitable material and relevant experiences to discover things for themselves and construct conclusions on their own in an organic way.

The Cottage School designs its own curriculum and play-based teaching materials, integrating arts and academics in all the traditional subjects. It uses developmentally appropriate activities to teach without traditional tests, grades, or textbooks. Textbooks can provide facts but are oftentimes shallow, outdated, or one-sided, lacking perspective and varied viewpoints. The teachers create a flexible and dynamic interaction generated by a teacherstudent-centered class time.

Our programs integrate traditional subject areas of fine arts, foreign languages, literature, social studies, mathematics, physical education, and the natural world in a cooperative, non-competitive environment. Folktales, rounds, and traditional songs are part of our daily activities. It is academics and art in daily communion.

All students have the opportunity for uninterrupted free play every day. They are encouraged to begin their play by simple suggestions from their teachers. They develop their imaginations by building and creating environments, using silks, wool, wooden play structures, handmade dolls, and blocks.
Source: Verified school update

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the application deadline for The Cottage School?
The application deadline for The Cottage School is rolling (applications are reviewed as they are received year-round).

School Reviews

5  
The Cottage School is our ideal environment for our children. It feels like a natural extension of our home, and our kids are learning so much without even knowing it! The small scale ensures quality relationships between students and teachers, and between the students themselves, and the teachers truly care and get to know each individual child. So much exposure to art, language, culture, music, movement, nature--all in a play-based, peaceful environment. We love this school!
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Quick Stats (2024)

  • School Type: Alternative School
  • Grades: Nursery/Preschool-8
  • Enrollment: 20 students
  • Application Deadline: None / Rolling
  • Source: Verified school update

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Did You Know?

The average private school tuition in Morris County, NJ is $25,086 for elementary schools and $26,471 for high schools (read more about average private school tuition across the country).
The average acceptance rate in Morris County, NJ is 79% (read more about average acceptance rates across the country).

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