About

Our Campus

Founded in 1915, Shady Hill is an independent, coeducational, day school in Cambridge, MA offering a fundamentally different approach to teaching and learning for children in Beginners through Grade VIII.

List of 9 items.

  • + Curriculum

    - Central Subject
    - World Languages
    - Library
    - Physical Education
    - Woodworking
    - Pottery
    - Music
    - Visual Arts 
    - Performing Arts

  • + Students

    - 530 students
    - From 40 different communities
    - 35% students of color
    - Over 3,500 alumni

  • + Class Sizes

    - Beginners: 2 classes of 18 students 
    - Kindergarten: 2 classes of 22 students 
    - Grade I: 2 classes of 22 students 
    - Grade II: 3 classes of 15-17 students 
    - Grade III: 3 classes of 16–18 students
    - Grade IV: 3 classes of 16–18 students
    - Grade V: 4 classes of 15–17 students 
    - Grade VI: 4 classes of 16–18 students 
    - Grade VII: 4 classes of 16–18 students 
    - Grade VIII: 4 classes of 16–18 students 

  • + Faculty

    - Over 100 full- and part-time faculty members.
    - 8 to 1 overall student-to-teacher ratio.
    - 3 to 4 Gradeheads for each grade.
    - Over 30 department teachers in math, science, music, athletics, arts, world language, and library.

  • + Athletics

    - Soccer
    - Cross Country
    - Flag Football
    - Volleyball Basketball
    - Ice Hockey
    - Fencing
    - Lacrosse
    - Track & Field
    - Ultimate Frisbee

  • + Equal Opportunity

    The School admits qualified students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, religion, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, religion, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its educational, admissions, financial aid, athletic and other policies and programs.

  • + Accreditation

    - The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
    - The Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE)

  • + Governance

    Every parent is a member of the not-for-profit corporation, presided over by the Board of Trustees. The Head of School supervises the faculty and oversees the educational program.

  • + Finance

    Shady Hill's financial aid budget totals over $3 million. Tuition grants range from a few hundred dollars to almost the entire tuition. All assistance is based on a family's need to pay. The number of families receiving aid has ranged from 18% to 21% in recent years.

Our Unique Campus

Eleven acres of wetlands, grassy areas, and treelined paths located in a quiet Cambridge, MA neighborhood. Our campus has eighteen buildings, including an art, wood shop, and music studio; library; gymnasium; science laboratories; an assembly hall; and a number of child-scaled classroom buildings. The look of the campus is that of a little village, with buildings surrounding a green where the community comes together for a number of important school events each spring. Our gray-shingled classroom buildings have porches that invite outdoor reading and gathering during recess and throughout the day.

In fact, our entire campus functions as a classroom. From our youngest to our oldest grades, students explore the flora and fauna of the campus, use the space for representations of thematic and central subject studies, and much more. 
    617.520.5260      178 Coolidge Hill  Cambridge MA 02138           Association of Independent Schools in New England