Brief History: Sizer School, A North Central Charter Essential School, is a free public school located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The school’s founding group, closely associated with the Francis Parker Charter Essential School in Devens, desired to address a concern that very few students from Fitchburg or Leominster, two racially and economically diverse small cities, were attending or applying to Parker. Sizer School founders hoped to provide the same type of high quality learning environment to a diverse community of learners.
Chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in May 2001, the school opened its doors to 235 students in grades seven to nine in September 2002. In June 2006 North Central Charter Essential School graduated its first full class of graduates with 95%+ of these students heading to college or a post-secondary programs. In 2014 North Central Charter School became Sizer School, in honor of Ted Sizer, founder of Essential Schools and his wife Nancy Sizer, Teacher, Leader, Author and Lecturer, as we moved to our new facility.
Serving students from 7th through 12th grade, the school is chartered to enroll up to 400 students from thirty cities and towns in central Massachusetts, including, but not limited to: Ashburnham, Ashby, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Princeton, Sterling, Templeton, Townsend, and Westminster.
The school's faculty and staff are some of the most dedicated and talented professional in Massachusetts public schools. They are deeply committed to do whatever it takes to ensure student achievement. The school boasts small class sizes, a safe and supportive learning environment, and students who out-perform their peers from other areas public schools. Sizer School prides itself on creating a personalized learning plan for each student.
Our Vision: We are an innovative public school that meets each and every student where they are as individuals and learners.
We do what it takes to inspire passionate, creative and life-long learners who achieve personal greatness, are prepared for the future and engage with and give back to the world.
