Prospective Families

Why Choose a Magnet School?

As a parent, you hope to see your child succeed in an academic setting that is safe, motivating, and nurturing. We understand that making the right choice for your child’s future means everything to you. Choosing a magnet school education may be exactly the right step for your child — and you.

A Magnet School Education Offers Several Benefits Including:

• Flexible and innovative curriculum centered around a unifying theme
• Diverse student body that encourages respect, empathy, and collaboration
• Family and community involvement that instills a passion for learning and growth
• Academic success that prepares students for a lifetime of academic achievement
• Small class sizes that ensure connection to the content and foster positive student/teacher relationships

What Is a Magnet School?

With a theme-based education and hands-on learning approach, your child will be prepared for a bright future. The diverse student body allows for increased cultural competencies you will not find at your local schools. Magnet schools even offer more opportunities for parental and community involvement.

Riverside Magnet School

Magnet elementary schools are the perfect fit for a child you want to immerse in a world of educational possibilities. Riverside Magnet School is based on the Reggio Emilia model and offers a curriculum focused on building cognitive, social, language, creative, and physical skills that empower students to take active roles in directing their own learning. At Riverside Magnet School, your child will be able to start on a limitless educational journey.

Connecticut River Academy

Magnet high schools benefit teens who want a supportive educational environment surrounded by motivated students interested in similar themes. The Connecticut River Academy, provides the opportunity to earn over 35 transferable college credits while still in high school — all at no tuition cost. The Connecticut River Academy centers on a sustainability theme that promotes global awareness and respect for the environment through critical thinking and action.

RIVERTECH at GOODWIN UNIVERSITY 

With a combined emphasis on practical skills and traditional academic subjects, scholars that attend Connecticut technical schools participate in hands-on learning and career-focused training to prepare them for immediate employment, apprenticeships, and college. RiverTech at Goodwin University is the first technical magnet school in the state and will be organized into four spokes, including automation, production/fabrication, system integration, and SMART Factory. 

School Choice...Magnet Schools vs. Charter Schools

We understand that making the right choice for your child’s future is a difficult task and realize the importance of making an informed decision. As a parent, you hope to see your child succeed in an academic setting that is safe, motivating, and nurturing. There are so many choices for families in Connecticut to choose from and it is important to gather as much information as possible about school options that may best suit your child.

Charter Schools

Considered cutting edge, charter schools usually challenge standard education practices and sometimes specialize in a particular area, such as technology or the arts, or adopt a basic core-subjects approach. They usually have smaller classes and offer more individual attention than conventional public schools.

Like public schools, Charter schools are funded by the state and receive tax dollars, but they may also have private funding. Charter schools do not charge tuition. Charter schools provide small-scale educational programs that are independently run separate from school districts and some are run by for-profit agencies. They are not subject to the scrutiny of a public school board of education, self-governance is the fundamental differentiator between charter schools and other forms of public education. Charter schools must adhere to the basic curricular requirements of the state but are free from many of the regulations that apply to conventional schools.

The Department of Education describes a charter school as having these characteristics:

• Has been granted a charter, usually by the state legislature, or other designated authority.
• Its governing body may be a group, organization, or corporation.
• May have specific academic themes or serve particular populations.
• Is granted more authority than other public schools, but has accountability and mission statements written into its charter.
• The charter is periodically reviewed, and may be revoked.

Magnet Schools

Magnet schools are public schools of choice, so named because they "attract" students to their specific educational focus or theme. Magnet schools give parents and guardians the opportunity to choose quality programs for their children throughout the state of Connecticut. Magnet schools allow students to focus on specific talents or interests while studying a challenging core curriculum of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and languages in a diverse environment.

The Department of Education describes a magnet school today as having these characteristics:

• Aims to eliminate or reduce racial or ethnic isolation by bringing together students from a variety of backgrounds.
• Focuses on a specific academic theme.
• Has no tuition.
• Follows same laws and regulations of other public schools.
• Administrators and staff are required to have state certifications.

Magnet School Highlights

• Have helped desegregate public education
• Offer specialized programs that challenge students more
• Level of academic achievement is often greater
• Lower teacher — student ratios and smaller class sizes often offer deeper hands-on learning
• Increases motivation since students are enrolled based on interest not location

The Benefits of Attending a Goodwin Magnet School

We’ve created an educational community in which each student will thrive in an environment that is inclusive, challenging and inspiring. Unlike many traditional local public schools, we offer unique and diverse learning experiences that combine the best parts of a public school education with the benefits of individualized learning. We empower our students to pursue their passions and encourage them to be thoughtful leaders — both in the classroom and in the community. We offer a theme-based education and hands-on learning approach. These provide a more personalized learning experience, driven by individual interests and talents.

Our magnet elementary school is the perfect fit for a child you want to immerse in a world of educational possibilities. A curriculum focused on building literacy, numeracy, social and physical skills empowers students to take an active role in directing their own learning. At Riverside Magnet School, your child will be able to start on a limitless educational journey.

Our magnet high school benefits teens who want a supportive educational environment surrounded by motivated students interested in similar themes. The Connecticut River Academy, provides the opportunity to earn over 35 transferable college credits while still in high school — all at no tuition cost.

To learn how to apply to a Goodwin University Magnet School, visit our Admissions page!

Admissions

Between November 2025 and February 2026, Riverside Magnet School, Connecticut River Academy Middle and High School, the Early College Advanced Manufacturing Pathway (ECAMP), and RiverTech are going to host events where families can learn more about the schools and ask any questions that they may have. 

Join us on the following dates to learn more:

Information Session: Wednesday, November 19, 6:00-7:00 P.M. (Each School)

School Tours: Saturday, December 6, 10:00-12:00 P.M. at Riverside Magnet School, CTRA High School, and CTRA Middle Level Program

Pathways and Possibilities Night: Wednesday, January 14, 6:00-7:30 P.M. at CTRA High School

Information Session: Tuesday, February 3, 6:00-7:00 P.M. (Each School)

Register Here