Why The Common School

Learning that starts with your child’s questions.
Since 1967, The Common School has been built on a simple idea: children are capable researchers of their own world. Our Reggio Emilia–inspired curriculum grows out of what children notice and wonder about. A snake in the flower bed becomes a weeks-long study, and Elementary students write to lawmakers about farmworkers’ wages. Children spend two years with the same teachers and learn outdoors every week on 140 acres of conservation land and farmland.

Why caregivers are drawn to us.
Caregivers tell us they want a school where their child comes home tired, a little muddy, and eager to talk about their day. They are looking for independence, hands-on learning, mixed-age classrooms and a love of learning that comes from within. They want their children to understand the world and their place in it. Through our social justice curriculum, built with EmbraceRace resources, even our youngest learners talk openly about identity, fairness and standing up for one another. Through RULER, social-emotional learning is part of every day, so children learn to name their feelings, work through conflict and care for each other. From Nursery block towers to sixth graders researching hunger in our community, children here learn because they want to.

Why families choose The Common School and stay.
Families choose The Common School for its community, and many stay for generations. Alumni return as teachers, and former students enroll their own children. Traditions like the Bells of Freedom March give every family something to look forward to. Families come from 20 towns, nearly half our students are children of color, and 60% receive tuition assistance. Our sixth graders move on confidently to schools such as Deerfield Academy and Northfield Mount Hermon.

We’d love for you to see it for yourself. Schedule a tour and find out why families have trusted The Common School for nearly 60 years.