History & Campus

The Common School’s History • Campus • Directions

The Common School, Amherst was founded by Emily Johnson, a distinguished educator whose vision was a school with a developmental approach and a commitment to integrated experiential learning.

The first classes of this independent school in the Pioneer Valley were taught in September 1967 in the parish hall of Grace Episcopal Church on the Amherst Town Common. After two relocations and expansions, we are now located on Larch Hill, just south of Amherst College.

Our school is nestled on three acres that borders sixteen acres of town-owned conservation land and over 100 acres of Bramble Hill farmland. Our proximity to Amherst College, Hampshire College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts opens up many opportunities for students to take part in events, art exhibitions, and performances that enhance their learning.

Children playing and sitting on the grass in front of a large, dark Victorian-style house with a steep roof and multiple chimneys.

A black-and-white photo of a woman with short hair and glasses, smiling and interacting with children in a classroom or indoor setting. The top right corner has text reading 'Emily Johnson 1969'.

“
The purpose of the educational program at The Common School is to teach children as imaginatively as possible what they need to know in order to help them be fully human in the world in which they are growing up.
”

—
Emily Johnson, Founder of The Common School