The Park School

The Park School is an independent day school in Brookline, Massachusetts, for boys and girls in PreKindergarten through eighth grade. Founded in 1888 as Miss Pierce's School, it is a 34-acre campus in Brookline, Massachusetts near Jamaica Pond.

Park's roots go back to 1888, when Miss Caroline Pierce began a proprietary school on Walnut Street in Brookline. In 1923, it was incorporated and named to commemorate Julia Park, principal from 1910-1922. A gift of land from Dr. and Mrs. James M. Faulkner, former Park parents and grandparents, provided the opportunity for the School to move in 1971 from Kennard Road in Brookline to a 34-acre, country-like setting near Jamaica Pond and opposite Larz Anderson Park.

Schedule

At Park, the academic year runs from September to June. School begins at 8:15 a.m. for all students. On Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, school is dismissed at 3 p.m.; Tuesday at 2 p.m. (This time is used by the faculty for professional development and departmental meetings.) PreK is a half-day program until 12 noon. Kindergarten is dismissed at 12 p.m. on Monday and Friday, 2p.m. on Tuesday, and 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

Program

The Park School is composed of two Divisions - Lower Division (PreK - Grade 4) and Upper Division (Grades 5-8)

Hallmarks of Park's Lower Division

• Social-emotional learning. They educate the whole child at Park. That includes developing listening skills, empathy, kindness, and compassion.
• Students get the challenge they need. Every student is well known here. Their teachers make sure each child is given the appropriate challenge according to their unique learning style, skills, and needs.
• Children find their voice. Beginning at a young age, students get many opportunities to share their ideas, their talents, and their love of learning.
• Parents are their partners. Parents are a crucial part of their children’s progression. So they maintain frequent communication between parents and their child’s teacher with weekly newsletters, daily informal check-ins, and comprehensive conferences in the fall and spring.
• Project-based learning. To make learning engaging, holistic, and relevant, teachers create hands-on projects that bring lessons to life.

Hallmarks of Park's Upper Division

• Strong and positive connections, including those with peers, are essential for adolescents to thrive.
• Upper Division structure and programming, including Advisory and Growth Education, promote the skills of self-awareness, organization, digital citizenship, collaboration, and conflict resolution.
• Upper Division Advisory – Each child in the Upper Division is part of a small advisory group made up of 5–7 students and one teacher that meets daily. Advisory time is spent on activities ranging from team-building games to problem solving to reflection and goal setting.
• At Park, students can act in a play or join a sports team without worrying about being cut from the roster, or they can explore and showcase their passion for artistic expression with audiences throughout the year.
• Athletics for Grades 6–8 – More than 90 percent of Upper Division students choose to play on varsity, junior varsity, or sixth-grade teams in a variety of 16 individual and team sports.

Tuition Fees

• PREKINDERGARTEN - GRADE 4            $37,900
• GRADE 5                                                    $44,000
• GRADES 6 AND 7                                     $46,000
• GRADE 8                                                  $48,000

Extracurricular activities

Various extracurricular activities are offered in the After-School Program for PreK – Grade 5.

Students in Grades 6 – 8 are encouraged to participate in elective sports or after-school drama. In addition, clubs and a quiet study hall are offered until 4:30 p.m. Park offers three seasons of sports, as well as three seasons of theater production, that students may participate in.

Sports include Flag Football, Soccer, Field Hockey, Volleyball and Cross Country in the fall, Basketball, Wrestling and Ice Hockey in the winter, and Lacrosse, Softball and Track and Field in the spring.

Theater choices change term to term and include both modern and classical theater, with a musical in the winter term.