Original Research by School Decision on New Roots Charter School
New Roots Charter School is a small, independent high school (and newly expanded middle school) serving students in grades 6 through 12 in Ithaca. With about a hundred high school students across the four grades, the school has just begun adding a middle school program with a founding cohort of students in mixed-age classrooms. The school operates outside the district structure under a charter from the State University of New York, and it sits within a college town whose economy and culture are shaped by Cornell and Ithaca College.
The defining feature of New Roots is its Montessori-inspired, multi-age model. Rather than grouping students by grade, the school organizes classrooms by mastery of material, meaning students progress at their own pace through the core curriculum. A student might spend more time on a subject where they need it, or accelerate in an area where they demonstrate readiness. This structure now spans from middle school through grade twelve, so a family enrolling in sixth grade can expect that approach to shape their child's entire remaining high school trajectory at the school.
The school serves a diverse mix of families. About half of the enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body includes Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students alongside a White majority. The school is small enough that enrollment numbers matter; with the high school at roughly a hundred students, class sizes and peer groups are intimate.
State assessment data and a graduation rate for New Roots were not available in the data reviewed, so it is not possible to report proficiency or completion outcomes. For families making this choice, a parent may want to ask the school directly about recent graduate outcomes, college placement, and how the Montessori-style pace translates to readiness for standardized testing or college admissions. The school's website and direct communication with leadership would be the place to explore that picture.
The school recently emerged from a period of instability. In the prior years, New Roots faced enrollment and financial challenges, and state regulators placed it on probation. That chapter appears to have closed: in early 2025, SUNY awarded the school a full fifth charter term without conditions, signaling that leadership had addressed the underlying issues. The expansion to middle school is part of a deliberate growth strategy; the board and school leadership are betting on broader community support and a pipeline that lets families enter younger.
Ithaca itself is a walkable, mixed-income college city with a pedestrian downtown commons, a strong public library, good transit through the non-profit TCAT bus system, and access to the surrounding Finger Lakes landscape. Housing costs in the area are modest compared to the state benchmark, though rents have been rising. The city is in the middle of a densification push, with new affordable housing and mixed-use development downtown. For families drawn to a small, pedagogically distinctive school in an intellectual, walkable college town, New Roots offers a real alternative to traditional high school. The school's recovery and the backing from SUNY suggest it has the stability to sustain that offer.
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