Nikolaevsk Charter School is a K–12 public charter school that blends Montessori education for grades K–8 with Career & Technical Education (CTE) for grades 9–12.
We’re agriculture-based, hands-on, and rooted in the unique Russian heritage of our village.
What We’re About
At NCS, students don’t just sit at desks and do worksheets
they learn by doing
- K–8 Montessori: Multi-age classrooms, hands-on materials, and lots of movement and independence.
- 9–12 CTE: Real-world, career-focused learning in agriculture, trades, and practical skills.
- Agriculture-based learning for all ages:
- Gardening and soil care
- Cooking and baking
- Cleaning and kitchen skills
- Preparing and preserving food for long-term storage
We are building a small school farm:
- Year 1: Our goal is to build a school garden on campus.
- Year 2: We plan to add livestock.
Students will help care for the animals, and older students will design and build fencing and shelters as part of their CTE coursework.
Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Learning
- Families have different needs, so we offer flexible ways to be a part of NCS:
1. Full-Time, In-Person School
Students attend school on campus full time, Monday–Friday (following our school calendar).
They participate in:
- Academic core classes
- Montessori or CTE (depending on grade level)
- Gardening, cooking, and farm projects
- Cultural and community activities
2. Homeschool at NCS
- Enroll at NCS through our homeschool correspondence program
- NCS provides an allotment and a certified homeschool advisor
Quarter Projects – Join Us by Season
For families who homeschool or need more flexibility, we offer the option to join NCS for quarter-long projects.
Each quarter may feature a big, hands-on project, such as:
- Build and plant garden beds
- Building chicken coop
- Growing and harvesting a crop
- Set up and maintain an outdoor ice rink
- Designing and making a product to sell
- Food preservation or farm-to-table cooking
- And many many more projects
K-12 Homeschool Students can:
- Enroll in one quarterly project
- Come back for multiple quarters, or
- Homeschool independently
Options for High School Homeschoolers
High school students who are homeschooling have the option to come to NCS for specific classes, up to 2
For example, a homeschool high schooler could:
- Take a core class
- Take an architecture and construction class
- Join a culinary or pottery class
- Participate in internship
This lets families keep their homeschool program while still accessing hands-on CTE opportunities at NCS
Honoring Russian Culture
Nikolaevsk has a rich Russian heritage, and we want our school calendar and culture to reflect that.
- We include breaks for Russian Orthodox holidays, such as Pascha and Russian Christmas, in our school calendar.
- Our Christmas break is three weeks long, and students return to school after Russian Orthodox Christmas in January, so families can fully celebrate their traditions. For Pascha we take a one week school break in the spring in addition to a traditional spring break.
In Short Nikolaevsk Charter School is:
- K–12
- Montessori-based for grades K–8
- CTE-focused for grades 9–12
- A homeschool correspondence
- Agriculture and farm-based
- Culturally rooted in our Russian village traditions
- Flexible, with full-time and part-time/quarter project options for homeschoolers
- Open to high school homeschoolers who want to take individual classes