Dive In Commonwealth

Welcoming students from Boston and surrounding communities, Dive In Commonwealth offers middle-schoolers new academic, artistic, and extracurricular opportunities, preparing them for success in high school and beyond—all in a warm, supportive environment with like-minded students and enthusiastic teachers. Our “divers” work hard in their classes, and they have lots of fun, too!

Dive In Commonwealth students leave our program ready for the next phase of their educational journey, wherever they attend high school. Dive In students who apply to and are accepted by Commonwealth will receive need-based financial aid to ensure it’s affordable.

What do students do?

Dive In is modeled after Commonwealth’s academic program, with core classes focused on reading, writing, and math. Students develop strong vocabulary and grammar skills, improve their reading comprehension, and grow their skills in arithmetic, pre-algebra, and algebra in six-week summer courses. Meanwhile, week-long "mini-courses" introduce them to computer programming, biology, history, and much more. Students also experience the arts, from photography to theater to sculpture, and take field trips around Boston—laughing and learning with new friends along the way.

What is the schedule?

The fourteen-month program includes six-week summer programs after the seventh- and eighth-grade years, as well as Saturday sessions throughout eighth grade. Each summer program day is roughly as long as the typical Commonwealth school day, running from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. See our sample schedule for more detail.

Where is it held?

While we normally hold the program at Commonwealth School, just down the street from the Copley Green Line station, in summer 2020, we designed a hybrid program, in which students attended a mix of in-person and virtual classes. Our plans for summer 2021 will depend on public health needs and the Massachusetts guidelines for summer programs.