Newport Public School District bills itself as a "student-centered learning community" that provides an academically rigorous experience for students from kindergarten through grade 12. The district has one of the highest amounts of total spending per pupil in the nation, with a well-developed visual and performing arts program, advanced technology in preparation for careers or college, and a community literacy program utilizing volunteer tutors. Up until 2002, Thompson Middle School was located in a circa-1897 building; a new facility was built from the ground up on the original site, opening in 2002.
Newport Public Schools also operates the Aquidneck Island Adult Learning Center, designed to serve youth and adults with GED and alternative diploma programs. The agency provides job skill development and work transition activities, arranges job shadowing opportunities, and cultivates adult literacy. Assessment for learning disabilities is available as well. The Newport Area Career and Technical Center is another program under the Newport Public Schools umbrella.
The following is a summary of data regarding the Newport Public School District as of the 2004-2005 school year.
Total enrollment: 2,826
Number of facilities elementary schools: 6 junior high/middle schools: 1 senior high schools: 1 other: 2
Student/teacher ratio: 13:1 (statewide)
Teacher salaries: minimum: $32,769 maximum: $58,443
Funding per pupil: $12,500 (2004)
Several charter and private schools are open for enrollment in the Newport County area, including the Meadowbrook Waldorf School in West Kingston, Rhode Island, and St. George's School, a college preparatory institution in Newport. The List Academy of Music and Arts is a nonprofit visual and performing arts institution offering enrichment classes to students of all ages and abilities.
Public Schools Information: Newport Public Schools, 437 Broadway, Newport, RI 02840; telephone (401)847-2100
Newport is home to one private Catholic coeducational four-year university of arts and sciences, Salve Regina University, which offers baccalaureate degrees in 44 areas of concentration. Thirteen masters programs are available, and a PhD can be earned in Humanities. Enrollment in the 2004-2005 academic year stood at 2,479 students representing 34 states and 14 countries. Salve Regina has well-respected nursing and elementary, secondary, and special education programs.
The Naval War College (NWC) operates a military leadership institution in Newport, with a core curriculum that addresses national security decision making, strategy and policy, and joint military operations. NWC works on a trimester system; its student body of mid- and upper-level officers can earn baccalaureate degrees in any of five colleges, while a masters of arts degree is available in National Security and Strategic Studies. The NWC is part of the Naval Education and Training Center, as is the Naval Justice School that trains judge advocate generals and other military legal experts.
Civilians can also gain hands-on experience with boats at the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, where students learn the history of yachts while honing their skills in restoration and boat-building. The school coordinates an annual Summer Gala in celebration of the yacht. Newport is also home to a branch of the Community College of Rhode Island, the main campus of which is located in Warwick. Students of CCRI-Newport can pursue a variety of associate degrees, certifications, or transfer credits for four-year institutions of higher education.
The Newport Public Library has served the community for more than 130 years; the library operates a bookmobile service, offers a number of programs tailored to youth and teen readers, and maintains a collection of more than 124,000 volumes supplemented by upwards of 4,000 audio-visual materials. In 2005 the library received a grant of $27,500 to strengthen technological resources available to patrons. Through a reciprocal borrowing agreement, patrons have access to library materials in communities throughout the state.
Special libraries in Newport include those coordinated by various departments of the U.S. Navy on such topics as military science and antisubmarine warfare. Libraries are maintained by Salve Regina University, Newport Hospital, Newport Historical Society, the U.S. Naval War College, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Of unique interest is the Redwood Library and Athenuaeum, founded in 1747 and said to be the oldest continuously circulating library in the United States. The library contains a valuable collection of rare books, paintings, furnishings, and historical items. The building itself is reminiscent of a Grecian temple; services have been relocated in 2005 while the structure undergoes restoration.
The library and museum materials housed within the Newport Historical Society can jumpstart genealogical and local history research with access to more than 200,000 photographs, 12,000 volumes and 10,000 collectible objects. The U.S. Naval War College conducts war games research, hosts strategic think tank sessions and houses a Naval Underwater Systems research center, all of which contribute to the future direction of the Navy.
Public Library Information: Newport Public Library, 300 Spring St., Newport, RI 02840; telephone (401)847-8720