A campus community in the center of Keene

We make our home in the center of Keene, the hub of the rural Monadnock region. Between our two campuses runs a tributary of the Ashuelot River, named by the Abenaki people of this region. Ashuelot means “a collection of many waters.”

Gathering Waters is likewise a collection of many waters. Students and families arrive with different stories, backgrounds, and hopes, and together they form a vibrant school community—one that honors each individual’s gifts and helps young people prepare for whatever may lie around the next bend.

We serve students from over 20 towns in the Monadnock region

Students come to Gathering Waters from more than 20 towns across the Monadnock region—some families even relocate here for the school. Our location in Keene’s city center gives students easy access to a walkable, welcoming downtown for safe after-school activities and social connections.

31 WASHINGTON STREET, KEENE, NH

A Downtown Campus Designed for Connection & Community

Gathering Waters’ Upper School makes its home in the historic Keene High School building. There are spacious, light-filled classrooms alongside specialized spaces that support our hands-on curriculum, including a fine arts studio, handwork studio, biochem lab, music and performing arts rooms, and a full-size gym. And dedicated middle school classrooms gives younger students plenty of their own space.

Set in the heart of downtown Keene, the campus connects students to the wider community: the public library, Rec Center, Russell Park, and local businesses are all just a short walk away. High schoolers enjoy increasing freedom and responsibility with off-campus lunch privileges.

98 SOUTH LINCOLN STREET, KEENE, NH

A Welcoming and Creative Home for the Early Grades

Gathering Waters’ Lower School campus on South Lincoln Street is a warm, light-filled home for Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. Once the longtime home of Monadnock Waldorf School, the building carries the charm of a classic New England school infused with Waldorf heritage—tall windows, delightfully squeaky wooden floors, and hallways lined with student art.

The campus includes an inviting auditorium for class plays, garden beds and compost, and a spacious play yard full of natural materials. Set in a residential neighborhood, classes easily walk to the woods and water of Robin Hood Park, giving children daily opportunities to explore both indoors and out.

Taking Learning Out Into the Community

Gathering Waters students are often spotted out and about in the neighborhood—walking to Russell Park, Robin Hood Park, the library, the Community Kitchen, and more. Some days we even load up the vans for a local adventure or an occasional overnight trip!

Trips & Outdoors

At Gathering Waters, we like to get outside to learn. Whether it’s walking the murals of downtown Keene, competing in the fifth-grade Pentathlon in Saratoga Springs, going on a whale watch, seeing the sights of NYC, or camping on Hermit Island for a week, there is always an exciting opportunity to bring learning to life.

Across the grades, classes take regular field trips and also work together to save for larger Class Trips. Wherever we go, we aim to experience what we’re studying—seeing it, sensing it, and learning it in context.

Camp Glen Brook

To enrich our curriculum with immersive, nature-based learning grounded in Waldorf values, Gathering Waters partners with Camp Glen Brook in Marlborough, NH. For more than 80 years, Glen Brook’s forests, fields, pond, and trails have offered a welcoming landscape for meaningful outdoor education.

Gathering Waters students visit throughout the year to explore the land, strengthen class community, and deepen their understanding of what they study in school. Each trip is thoughtfully connected to the curriculum to nurture curiosity, confidence, and a sense of belonging in the natural world.

Kroka Expeditions

Gathering Waters partners with Kroka Expeditions in Marlow, NH to bring students into the wilderness for purposeful, skill-building journeys that strengthen community and deepen learning.

These immersive days include farming, rock climbing, orienteering, and hands-on discovery—sometimes even expedition travel! Students meet real challenges, step beyond their comfort zones, and connect with the natural world in meaningful ways. They return with greater confidence, a stronger class bond, and a clearer sense of who they are and how they can contribute.

Lead & Asbestos Reporting: Gathering Waters Chartered Public School has had an inspection for asbestos-containing building material (ACBM) in accordance with 40 CFR Part 763. ACBM is present in the school on the 98 S Lincoln St campus. An Inspection Report and Management Plan have been prepared for the building and are available for review at the central office and at the District Office. The ACBM is being managed safely in accordance with State and Federal standards. For more information please contact our Business Manager Fiona Laurie at fiona.laurie@gatheringwaterscharter.org. The Lower School Campus recently underwent required lead testing for all water outlets and results were above the allowed range for one bathroom outlet. For more information please see this letter to school families.