OUR MISSION

To cultivate compassionate, reflective, resilient, creative learners in a safe and nurturing environment in pursuit of a better world.

OUR VISION

We believe education should make the world a better place.

OUR VALUES

Respect • Compassion • Gratitude • Responsibility • Patience
Collaboration • Honesty • Perseverance

OUR STORY

Peconic Community School is, and always has been, a little school with big dreams. Starting with nine students, one teacher and a big dream to make the world a better place through education, founders Liz Casey and Kathryn Casey Quigley set out 12 years ago to open a school that would change children’s lives and make a meaningful impact on the community. Living true to this mission for over a decade, Peconic Community School today is a beacon of child-centered, community-minded education on the North Fork with nearly 100 students, 25 full time faculty and staff and a stellar reputation for offering uniquely progressive, learner-driven and community-integrated education.

Peconic Community School is a nonprofit 501(c)3 school with programs for children ages 3 through Grade 8, accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), as well as the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). PCS offers a uniquely learner-centered, project-based and community-minded educational experience that emphasizes social emotional learning, community building and social justice while ensuring rigorous academic preparation.

For the past 12 years, PCS has been educating students using their community and local environment as a launching pad for their studies and exploration. Through a combination of hands-on explorations, field research, classroom reflection and authentic, inquiry-driven learning, students are encouraged to engage actively in their learning and their world. PCS’s focus on place-based curriculum, social-emotional learning and community building nurtures compassionate, aware and engaged leaders who are equipped to navigate an increasingly complex world. We believe that children who are able to face challenges with determination and grace, who are able to pause and look within to find strength and clarity, and who are able to reach out with courage and understanding (that is, children who are resilient, reflective and compassionate learners) are uniquely prepared to soar into the future.

In January 2024, Peconic Community School opened the doors to the new permanent home of its dreams — a 10+ acre campus in downtown Cutchogue complete with spaces and structures to grow into a child-centered, arts and cultural hub for the North Fork. PCS is currently in the midst of an ambitious capital campaign to create a “A Campus for Cutchogue,” complete with a performing arts center in the former church, community art studio and maker space in the carriage house, a renovated school building and a comprehensive re-envisioning of the outdoor spaces.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Peconic Community School is committed to building an educational community that recognizes, welcomes and values diversity of race, ethnicity, socio-economic background, gender, religion, sexual orientation, physical appearance, learning style, family structure, upbringing, perspective and ideology. PCS recognizes the tremendous benefits that a diversity of identities, perspectives and experiences brings to the learning process. And, it is a fundamental belief in the profound value of an equitable, inclusive society that inspires the school’s approach to community building. In its mission and its practices, Peconic Community School strives to foster the understanding, insight, care and courage that empower students to relate to all people with compassionate respect and to effect positive change in our local and global communities.

Peconic Community School is committed to diversifying the school community, including the board of trustees, the teachers and staff, and the students through targeted recruitment and non-discriminatory practices.