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Uncommon Community

Uncommon Curiosity

Uncommon Opportunity

Commonwealth is a co-ed independent day school welcoming curious, highly motivated students in grades 9–12. Our close-knit community thrives on making meaningful intellectual and personal connections, while tapping into the opportunities surrounding our home in Boston’s Back Bay.

Meet Faculty and Students

Hanna-Gialil-2

I've never seen a school like it before, from the building to the close-knit community. I look forward to going to school everyday, as I never know what will happen next.   

Hanna '25

It is humbling and exhilarating to come to work every day to a place where people are working for a common goal with such a mix of competence and humanity.

César Pérez, History and Languages Teacher

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I was first interested in Commonwealth by the small class sizes and the very rigorous environment. Visiting and having a virtual class was what drew me in. I'm very happy about making the choice to come here. The classes are intriguing, to say the least. There is difficulty but nothing I can’t handle. And the opportunities, such as Project Week, are unique, and they allow us to develop our own interests.

Aritra ’25

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The notion of shared stewardship very aptly describes the sort of investment that all of our colleagues feel in Commonwealth. There's a desire to make sure that everything we do improves the place—and an appreciation for how complex the system is and the breadth of potential consequences. If you change one thing over here, how will it shift things over there?

Rebecca Jackman, Chemistry Teacher and Assistant Head of School

I get a real burst of energy when I’m able to help students navigate the complexities of the research process. I feel so lucky to have such an incredible patron base of high-level readers and thinkers in our students. 

Jake MacDonnell, Librarian and Registrar

You know, I was hearing about all these other schools, and they definitely had a lot to offer, but Commonwealth spoke more to me because I know they take academics seriously here, but they also care about you as a person and finding yourself. 

Sumaya ’26

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Before I visited Commonwealth, I hadn’t thought about how going to a very small school would compare, coming from a bigger school. But now that I'm here, the small-school setting makes everyone a lot closer. You really know everyone in your grade and even a bunch of people outside it. It's been a lot of fun and a really big change from what I thought high school would be. It’s very freeing. 

Ethan ’26

By the Numbers

154

students in grades 9–12

56%

self-identified students of color

$1.4 million

financial aid granted for 2023–2024

83%

teachers holding advanced degree

5:1

student-to-faculty ratio

2

all-school getaways each year

1520

average SAT composite score (Class of 2024)

Happening Now

Why I Made It: Lillian '25

I started taking photography classes at Commonwealth about a year ago, maybe because I was drawn to the idea of working for National Geographic and becoming an intrepid explorer, or maybe just because it was a popular class my friends were taking. Regardless, photography has transformed my entire perspective and how I see the world when I step outside. I notice complimentary colors, lines leading my eye to an object, natural geometric shapes, contrasts, and beautiful sunlight. I also see snapshots of the city that invoke a sense of loss of the natural world, and snapshots that make me want to celebrate Cambridge (my hometown) and all its eccentricities.

sol-shin

Close reading a text makes Sol ’27 feel like Sherlock Holmes, she says, “just dissecting each sentence and figuring what you can from those small words.” It’s part of what attracted Sol to the Commonwealth in the first place. Now, as a first-year student, she gets to dig into close reading books such as Romeo and Juliet in her English class—though she’s still waiting to tackle her favorite, Homer’s Odyssey. Keep reading to get to know Sol just a bit better…

Meet Commonwealth Students: Max ’27, One Percent Better Every Day

How long would it take you to turn 1,000 Rubik’s cubes into a carefully designed mosaic? Give Max ’27 a few hours, and he’ll get it done. After building several of these structures, Max has mastered this feat of dexterity through relentless practice, something he has also applied to his celebrated fencing skills. “I stuck with it and kept working and improving,” Max explains of his beginnings in fencing. “Each time I practice, I try to get one percent better, and then go from there. And that's worked pretty well for me.”

Keep reading to get to know this first-year student from Westwood and discover the tenacity he brings to the fencing strip, the classroom, and any Rubik’s cube mosaic-building sessions that may occur. 

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The world shifts when you see it through a camera lens, Eliza ’24 says. “You can make the smallest things seem really big and important.” She’s accustomed to capturing life’s delicate details, whether it’s with the camera that rarely leaves her side or her recording equipment, as she chronicles her grandmother’s life story for her capstone project. Keep reading to see the world through her eyes.

At Commonwealth, we’re looking for inquisitive, driven, and creative students from a wide range of backgrounds. We encourage you to visit us, talk with teachers and students, and see if Commonwealth is right for you.