The Fessenden School

The Fessenden School is an independent boys’ boarding and day school for Pre-Kindergarten through 9th grade, located in West Newton, MA. For more than 100 years, The Fessenden School has offered state-of-the-art facilities, curriculum, and programs specifically designed to meet the educational needs of boys.

In our Lower School, with attention from teachers who foster a love of learning, boys play, engage, and grow. By demonstrating kindness and respect, faculty and staff nurture these characteristics in our dynamic, curious, and intelligent boys.

In our Middle and Upper Schools, boarders and day students alike are immersed in a diverse culture that comes from a campus community of local, national, and international students. Fessenden has created an academic experience that both nurtures and encourages boys to venture beyond their comfort zones. As a result, boys strive, interact, and claim their identities with both confidence and humility.

Honesty, compassion, and respect: throughout our history, these values have united and guided our entire community. First introduced in our Pre-K classrooms, these values follow curious young learners as they move through the Lower School and into the Middle and Upper Schools.

At Fessenden, we strive to develop well-rounded boys who flourish--academically, socially, and emotionally--in all that they do. We work continually to set good examples for our students, because we know they’re constantly observing and emulating those around them. Our curriculum and community is strengthened every day by a student body that comes from all over the globe, encompassing a broad range of racial, religious, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as family compositions. Through admissions and hiring processes, we actively seek students, faculty, and staff who represent this inclusive community.

We’re also proud of the integral part Fessenden parents play in our community. Informed and involved, they are a vibrant, driving force supporting their sons’ educational and personal growth. Regular communication between parents and Fessenden faculty is a critical factor in student success. We welcome parents into our community, and we’re thankful for all they contribute.

We continue our commitment to the education of boys at a time when many schools have become co-educational. Our facilities, curriculum, and programs are designed with the necessities of boys in mind. Faculty programs include ongoing professional development relating to the education of boys in our changing society. Contemporary knowledge about boys, combined with our historical perspectives and experience, allows Fessenden to continue its mission of educating and preparing boys for successful futures.

When Fessenden rang its first opening bell in 1903, there were eight boarders and three day students. Now, with more than 500 students, we strive to honor the words of our founder, Frederick Fessenden’s: “We hold dear what has worked best over time: Unapologetically high standards and a healthy respect for individual differences.” We are guided by and committed to the following community principles:

• Treat others with honesty and respect.
• Practice compassion; make an effort to understand and care for others.
• Honor diversity; promote a healthy respect for individual differences and affirm commonalities.
• Celebrate individual potential; nurture the many ways boys learn.
• Reject prejudice, bullying, and elitism; renounce behavior that excludes others.
• Engage in open, trusting dialogue; seek to learn from those who have differing opinions.
• Serve to strengthen our inclusive community.