Why choose Discovery?

Be part of a community

Discovery is a small community where every teacher knows every child and they forge deep relationships over the five years that children spend at the school. We currently have 14 educators, including 2 teaching-artists working with about 100 children.

In our open schoolhouse setting, students take many of their classes in "mixed groups," in which younger and older students collaborate and support each other. Students of all ages share ideas and analyze materials in an increasingly sophisticated manner.  Older children tutor the younger ones and younger students can be adequately challenged.  The diversity of ages contributes to an environment with less peer pressure.

"The creators have changed the game for finding ways to effectively teach their 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders how to coexist effectively with each other and learn from each other. If this doesn't teach maturity, I don't know what will! Discovery has most definitely given a new perspective on teaching by letting younger grades and older grades intermingle and learn together." A Discovery student.

We create a positive, constructive, and demanding learning community by being proactive and integrating community-building activities and individual check-ins in our schedule. We strive to involve our students and their families in solving the problems that arise and in overcoming challenges.

Our students have responsibilities in the school beyond their own personal work; from the kitchen to the theater backstage, and from animal care to office work, students participate in serving their community.

Through our partnership with Frost Valley YMCA, and Project U.S.E. we take as many students as we can to participate in day or overnight trips to explore nature, and learn to form great teams.

Families are welcomed at the school anytime, and without appointments.

"The principal, teachers, and administrative staff go above and beyond to make sure they do all they can do to help their students reach great academic success. They show an abundance of care, concern, and tough love; which my son greatly appreciates. I'm so glad he is here at Discovery." A Discovery parent.

"Discovery Charter School helped me find my voice. They helped me reach my full potential, not just by academically teaching me off textbook lessons, but by keeping me well rounded. Not just participating in math and science, but being in the performing arts, having a good relationship with peers and teachers, and creating an environment that allows me to be me. That is why I will always be proud I attended Discovery Charter School." 

A Discovery Student.

Discovery was designed to build on children’s natural curiosity. We emphasize explorations, projects, and open-ended tasks. Our curriculum is built  around multidisciplinary units that allows our students to explore and address engaging and relevant issues.

Discovery students develop the literacy, numeracy, scientific, and artistic skills needed to discover and express their vision.

Discovery students learn to work independently with week-long practice assignments that they complete both in school and at-home, and show to their homeroom teacher every morning. A copy of each child's Work Completion Card goes home everyday.

Our children learn to annotate everything they read, or “show active reading,” a skill our alumni come to appreciate when they are in college.

During the 21-22 school year, we have launch Lunch & Workshop, a period in the middle of the day during which ten children share lunch with a teacher and then go on to practice one particular skill that they need to reinforce after our challenging year of hybrid learning.

All our students participate in dance and visual art classes. Between 2017 and 2020, we produced three Disney Junior musicals, and our older students wrote, composed, and performed Romeo & Juliet Redux, in our musical theater workshop. We were able to develop this performing arts program thanks to our partnership with NJPAC.

We also use the full power of the arts to deepen our student’s reading, writing, math, and science skills. After reading a novel, students create a two-page comic that requires them to choose a point of view, represent the setting, and create appropriate dialogs to represent their understanding of a scene. During a science unit about atoms and molecules, our children created a poster of their Table of Element superhero, describing the unique properties of their element.

While exploring the Newark Rebellion of 1967, our students created a theater and dance performance reflecting what they had learned about this historical moment.

Where do our students go after graduating?

In June 2023, our 24 graduates were accepted to the following high schools:

• Arts High School

• Bard High School Early College

• Church Farm School

• Darrow School

• KIPP Lab high school

• Newark School of Global Studies

• Marion P. Thomas Charter School

• Essex County Newark Tech

• Essex County Payne Tech

• Science Park High School

• University High School