District overview
Cornish School District
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
How the Cornish School District is paid for and who decides
The Cornish School District runs one school, Cornish Elementary School (PreK-8), in Cornish, New Hampshire, and pays tuition for its high school students to attend schools such as Lebanon, Hartford and Windsor. Voters approve the budget at an annual district meeting each March; for 2026-27 they passed $5,699,556. Most of the money comes from local property taxes; state adequacy aid is about $710,000. A five-member elected school board sets policy. Cornish shares a superintendent, business administrator and student services director with Plainfield under an administrative services agreement.
High school tuition is a big cost
The board set its 2026-27 tuition rate at $23,000 per student, and staff expect tuition costs to rise about $285,000 next year as more students enter high school.
An old building
A full repair plan was estimated at about $11.4 million, and Cornish is not eligible for state building aid. The board is now studying other uses for the building.
Possible merger
A joint study committee recommends one K-8 school for Cornish and Plainfield on the Plainfield site; voters would decide in steps starting March 2027.
Leadership turnover
The superintendent resigned in spring 2026; Dr. David Baker is interim superintendent for both towns.
No decision to close Cornish Elementary has been made. The one-school model is a committee recommendation, and each step needs a vote of the town.
Where the district stands
Major projects
Cornish-Plainfield cooperative district ('One School Model')
recommended by study committeeA joint study committee voted unanimously on Sept. 15, 2026 to recommend one new K-8 school for both towns at 92 Bonner Road, the Plainfield site, with a new SAU and name. Phase 1 asks voters in March 2027 to continue the committee's work with some funding; draft Articles of Agreement are due in November or December 2026.
- Joint boards discuss building options and tuitioning
- Board restarts committee on a one-building option
- Joint retreat asks committee for a March 2027 vote
- Committee recommends One School Model
- Annual district meeting (Phase 1 vote)
Funding
Not yet set; budget and bonding requests could go to voters in March 2028
Cornish Elementary building repairs or decommissioning
stalled; options under studyHarriman estimated about $11.3-11.4 million to repair and update the building. The board put an $11.4 million bond on the March 2026 warrant; afterward it asked its facilities committee to study other uses for the building and the cost of decommissioning it. Shutting the school was estimated at $850,000. A partial roof project was suggested in October.
- Harriman estimate presented
- Bond hearing
- Annual district meeting
- Decommissioning study assigned
- Facilities committee lists repairs and closure options
Funding
Proposed 20-year bond (March 2026 warrant); no state building aid
Recent news
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Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.
Explore resources →Official Cornish School Board and joint Cornish-Plainfield board agendas, minutes, superintendent and principal reports, and handbooks posted in the district's public Google Drive folders, November 2025 through October 2026.
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