The Cambridge School of Weston
A leader among America's progressive independent schools, The Cambridge School of Weston has been at the forefront of educational innovation since 1886.
At CSW, creative, motivated students embrace challenging work and address complex questions - with curiosity and courage.
Inspired by the diverse perspectives and high expectations of our justice-minded community, students here find and develop what is extraordinary in themselves and in the world around them.
Students choose from more than 250+ courses through our unique Mod System; no two student schedules are alike.
A CSW education is not simply the acquisition of content and proficiency. It's also a way for students to develop and refine the skills required to become informed, engaged, and effective participants in a democratic society.
Our curriculum uses primary resources and multiple perspectives, and emphasizes our commitment to human rights and social justice.
Alumni Reviews Review School
- Review Description
- Sarah Lawrence College The thing that stands out most obviously about the Cambridge School is probably its unique schedule. The "mod system" allows for block scheduling in a truly innovative way. Because of the way classes. . .
- University of Vermont The Cambridge School of Weston is a liberal arts institution filled with some of the most incredible teachers in the world. The atmosphere is incredible. There is a special place for every student, teacher, and. . .
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago CSW values social justice and celebrates diversity in an incomparable way. Every one of my peers looks back on our high school experience as positive and nurturing. The faculty and community at CSW truly encouraged. . .
- Show more reviews (12 reviews)
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The Cambridge School of Weston is listed among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 305 schools) for:
- Category Attribute
- Faculty Education High percent faculty with advanced degrees
- Offering Breadth Most extracurriculars offered
| Definition of Terms | 2020 School Data | The Cambridge School | Boarding School Avg. |
| School Focus | College Prep | College Preparatory |
| Grades Offered | 9-12, PG | 9-12 |
| School Type | Co-ed | Co-ed |
| Religious Affiliation | Non-denominational | Non-denominational |
| Year Founded | 1886 | 1907 |
| Campus Size | 65 acres | 125 acres |
Student Body
| Enrollment | 310 students | 306 students |
| % Students of Color | 25% | 25% |
| % International Students | 11% | 20% |
| % Students Boarding | 30% | 70% |
| Average SAT Score | n/a | * National Avg. »View |
| Offers Post-Grad Year | Yes | No |
Academics and Faculty
| Saturday Classes | No | No |
| Classroom Dress Code | Casual | Casual |
| Average Class Size | 14 students | 12 *National School Avg. » 20 |
| Student : Teacher Ratio | 6:1 | 7:1 |
| ESL Courses Offered | No | Yes |
| % Faculty with Advanced Degree | 85% | 70% |
| Summer Program Offered | No | Yes |
Finances
| Endowment Size | $11.8 million | $23 million |
| Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students) | $63,000 | $58,935 |
| Yearly Tuition (Day Students) | $50,900 | $32,900 |
| % Students on Financial Aid | 28% | 40% |
| Avg. Financial Aid Grant | $34,000 | $25,000 |
| Merit Scholarships Offered | No | No |
Admission
| Application Deadline | Jan. 15 / rolling | Jan. 15 |
| Accepts Standardized Application | No | No |
| SSAT Required | Yes | Yes |
| Acceptance Rate | 57% | 57% |
| Associate Director of Admissions | Melisa Kjellander | |
Course Listings
| List of Courses Offered | Link to List of Courses |
AP / Advanced Courses
| # of AP / Advanced Courses Offered | n/a | 18 |
| Courses | Advanced Drawing Studio, Advanced Writing Portfolio, Advanced Writing Workshop, Advanced Writing Workshop, Art & Idea, Biology of Cancer, Calculus (A, B, C), Contemporary Improvisation, Electrochemistry and Battery Design, Ethics of Science, Examining Media as a Mirror: A Statistical and Visual Approach to Deconstructing False Narratives , French Elective: La Culture Francophone, Issues in Global and National Public Health: Analysis and Action, Mandarin Elective: Chinese Society and Culture through the Looking Glass, Marine Biology, Modernism, Molecular Biology, Multi-Variable Calculus, Music Theory 3, Neotropics of Latin America, Off Campus to China and Taiwan, Off Campus to France, Organic Chemistry, Re-Ordering Chaos, Spanish Elective: Current Events in the Spanish-Speaking World, Statistics, Student Directors' Workshop, The Art of Prediction, U.S. Constitution, U.S. Jailhouse Nation!: History of Crime, Punishment, and Mass Incarceration, U.S. Voting and Elections, Zoology | |
Sports
| # Interscholastic Sports Offered | 10 | 16 |
| Sports | Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Cross Country Running, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer, Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball | |
Extracurriculars
| Total Extracurricular Organizations | 75 | 24 |
| Extracurriculars | Club or Organization: Advisory Board, Asian Affinity Group, Assembly Coordinators, Board of Trustees, Boarding Life Committee, Carnival Club, China Care, Drawing, Generation Progress, House Band, Human Rights Group, Interfaith Club, Jewish Students Association, Judicial Board, Junior Achievement Club, Literary Magazine, Main Stage Productions, Model United Nations, Movie Club, Peer Mentors, Performing Artists Series, Poetic Justice (slam poetry), Pride Alliance, Queer People of Color, Radio CSW, Recreational Hockey, Robotics Team, S.A.L.S.A., Sketch Comedy Club, SLACS (a co-ed acappella singing group), Social Justice Day, Storytelling, Student Curriculum Committee, Varsity Dance Company, Walking Club, Window into Political Thought, Yearbook Committee Arts and Music Programs: A Capella, African Dance, Ballet, Chinese Cultural Dance, Consortium (literary magazine), Friday night inside Soccer, Indian Cooking, Instrumental, Japanese Cooking, Jazz Club, Millbrook Singers, Modern Dance, Open Art Studio, Pocket Players, Rock/Pop Ensemble, Self-Governing Association, Shakespeare Ensemble, Spring One Act Play Festival Recreational Athletic Programs: Badminton Club, Cardio Boxing, Caritas Curing Cancer, Cross Country Skiing, Golf, Indoor Rock Climbing, Indoor Sports, Junior Varsity Dance Company, Kundalini Yoga, Martial Arts, Pilates, Recreational Frisbee, Recreational Soccer, Recreational Tennis, Running for Fitness, Spectrum (newspaper), Student Government (ASB), Table Tennis, Wilderness Program, Zumba | |
College Matriculation
| Year: 2014 - 2018 | 10 Most Popular College Choices (# Enrolled) | |
| Oberlin College | 13 | |
| American University | 12 | |
| Smith College | 12 | |
| Bennington College | 11 | |
| University of Vermont | 11 | |
| New York University | 10 | |
| Colorado College | 9 | |
| Northeastern University | 9 | |
| Columbia University | 8 | |
| Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) | 8 | |
| Link to Matriculation Data | ||
School Notes
- The Cambridge School of Weston has been at the forefront of educational innovation since our founding in 1886.
- Our progressive pedagogy is rooted in the student-centered philosophy of John Dewey, who advocated active, experiential learning within a curriculum designed to accommodate the interests of individual students. In his eyes-and ours-education is not simply the acquisition of content and proficiency. It`s also a way for students to develop and refine the skills required to become informed, engaged, and effective participants in a democratic society.
- We believe that the world needs global citizens who not only have technical competence and skill, but who are also awake to their unique talents and who have developed ways to bring their distinctive skills and perspectives to what the world will ask of them.
- Our program develops students` abilities to explore and engage with curiosity, courage, self-awareness, discipline, open-mindedness, and a sense of personal responsibility.
- Purposeful classroom experiences and assessments allow students to develop and practice independent thinking, critical analysis, imaginative problem-solving, productive collaboration, and constructive risk-taking.
- Our curriculum uses primary resources and multiple perspectives, and emphasizes our commitment to human rights and social justice. We value creative process and challenge our students to push beyond perceived limitations and to make their work personally meaningful.
- The Cambridge School of Weston accreditations: NEASC
- Sample of notable school alumni/alumnae:
- Jennifer Coolidge - Jennifer Audrey Coolidge is an actress and comedian, best known for playing "Stifler's Mom", a role in the American Pie films, Sophie in the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, Paulette in Legally Blonde (2001) and its sequel, Hilary Duff's character's evil stepmot
- Aprille Ericsson-Jackson - Aprille Ericsson-Jackson is an aerospace engineer. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Ericsson-Jackson received her Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Masters of Enginee
- Ian Falconer - Ian Falconer is an illustrator, children's book author, and costume and set designer for the theater. He has created 30 covers for The New Yorker as well as other publications. Falconer is best known for the Olivia series, which features a young pig and h
- Andrew Strominger - Andrew Strominger is a theoretical physicist who is the Director of Harvard's Center for the Fundamental Laws of Nature. He has made significant contributions to quantum gravity and string theory. These include his work on Calabi-Yau compactification and
- Helen Keller - Helen Keller was an author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree.
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