Our Story
We opened the doors to our first beautiful school in downtown Long Beach in August 2000.
Eighty students in grades K–3 walked in that first day. We chose to locate in the center of our city where, for generations, families had worked hard to meet their basic needs — a place where parents could easily access our school and get involved in their children's education.
We were authorized by the Long Beach Unified School District, rooted in a belief that children in downtown Long Beach deserved a school that knew them by name, honored the languages they spoke at home, and trusted their families as partners rather than bystanders.
By 2005 we had grown to serve students in grades K–8. By 2008, the Long Beach Unified School District had granted our high school charter, Colegio New City. At our peak, we served over 425 students in elementary and more than 100 in middle and high school.
Our pedagogy was grounded in the work of Piaget, Kamii, Freire, and Krashen. Students stayed with their teaching team for three years — long enough to be truly known. Classes were small and multi-age. Teachers visited families at home. Parents sat on governance councils with real decision-making power. Assessments were student-led, not standardized.
Our mission was clear:
We provide a healthy and intimate learning environment in which community building is valued over competition. Through a K–8 curriculum enriched by the natural environment and technology, we teach logical reasoning, English and Spanish literacy, historical perspective, and creative expression.
Small classes. Multi-age groupings where students stayed with their teaching team for three years. Dual-language literacy. Student-led conferences. Teachers visiting students' homes. Families working alongside staff as true partners.
For fifteen years, The New City School was a place where children were known, where learning was social, and where the community of downtown Long Beach was not just a backdrop but a classroom.
Students who walked through those doors in kindergarten graduated eighth grade having been taught to think critically, express themselves in two languages, and see their community as worthy of curiosity and care. Many went on to high school at Colegio New City — the companion charter the school earned from the district in 2008.
The school closed in June 2015 after fifteen years. The story didn't.
Founder Ted Hamory is now writing a book that documents the school's origins, pedagogy, people, and lasting impact on Long Beach. This website is both an archive and an invitation — to the students, families, teachers, and neighbors who were part of it all.