The Cambridge School of Weston

Headmaster Zhan's Review: CSW is a school with a very special and distinctive culture and academics. The school does not offer ESL courses, but its course selection is extremely rich and challenging. It is very suitable for students who do not need much preparation and can hit the ground running upon arrival.
The school provides an environment that encourages children to think freely and ask open-ended questions, making it particularly suitable for students with strong opinions and unique ideas.
In terms of cultural heritage, CSW is the first private school in the U.S. to include a social justice project in its graduation requirements, aiming to cultivate students' global awareness and social responsibility. Its extracurricular activities involve collaborations with multiple countries worldwide, fostering batches of students who are full of curiosity and eager to embrace challenges.
For academic development, CSW utilizes a unique Module System, dividing each academic year into 6 modules, with each module lasting 6 weeks. Students can choose from over 250 courses. Because the course options are so diverse in each module, students can explore many different subjects throughout the year, meaning no two students will have exactly the same timetable. Student works are exhibited at the end of each module.
Regarding community building, the school strongly emphasizes teamwork and encourages children to collaborate on tasks. The students are very mature and proactively look after others. The learning and living atmosphere is excellent.
For emotional support, CSW's health team comprises nurses, two school counselors, and athletic coaches, who collectively provide comprehensive health protection for students. They offer student-centered, personalized health and mental health support, respecting diverse perspectives, cultures, and values, and guiding students to lead thoughtful, healthy lives.

CSW is a small, warm, and close-knit school where parents are very united. The school also has Chinese teachers. When it comes to dining, the school strives for as much variety as possible. Dormitory teachers often take children to Korean supermarkets on weekends to buy Chinese food. The school boasts many highly qualified teachers with advanced degrees from Harvard, MIT, and UPenn in education-related fields. They are very accommodating towards children and guide them well in class. The art and design classes are exceptionally strong. Initially, children might find it a bit challenging to adapt to the 'mod' system of teaching, as each class lasts 90 minutes. However, as class discussions deepen, this duration proves to be just right, much like extracurricular classes in China often start at 2 hours (120 minutes). The 90-minute lessons allow classroom discussions to expand to an appropriate depth. In summary, the current enrollment experience is very enjoyable.

Founded in 1886, Weston Cambridge School is located in Weston, Massachusetts. It is an excellent university preparatory school with a long history, and 30% of its students are boarders. The town where the school is located is home to renowned companies such as Boston Dynamics and Raytheon, and many of the school's teachers are graduates of Harvard and MIT.

The school adopts a progressive education approach, committed to discovering and nurturing the strengths of each student, offering diverse courses and a wide range of teaching methods. CSW's biggest feature is its Module System curriculum, which is more akin to university course selection. In terms of campus life, it also closely resembles the American college experience. At the beginning of each new semester, students choose courses that suit their interests and characteristics. The school's unique modular curriculum provides in-depth and innovative teaching, ensuring no two students have the exact same schedule. The school advocates for the holistic development of students, laying a solid foundation for their entry into higher education institutions.

First-hand information: Just finished a school visit. This year, the 9th grade plans to recruit 5 Chinese students. Last year's admissions for Chinese graduates: two to Rice University, two to Washington University in St. Louis, one to Boston University, one to Amherst College, one to Boston College, and one to Parsons School of Design.

Weston Cambridge data: 310 students, student-teacher ratio 1:6, boarding rate 30%, international students 14%, 85% of teachers hold advanced degrees. Weston Cambridge School is a boarding high school primarily focused on providing high-quality education, located in Weston, Massachusetts, USA. Its curriculum includes AP courses, Honors courses, and regular courses. It boasts a 97% college matriculation rate, with students achieving excellent SAT and ACT scores in college. The school not only emphasizes improving students' academic performance but also focuses on their comprehensive development in sports, arts, and other areas. The school offers a rich curriculum, including AP courses, Honors courses, and regular courses, and also provides ESL (English as a Second Language) courses to help students quickly master English. The school also emphasizes diversified education, encouraging students to participate in sports, arts, and other activities, allowing them to develop comprehensively while learning.

Having observed US high school applications for so many years (and as a US high school graduate myself), I've noticed that Chinese parents are primarily concerned with metrics that are easily quantifiable and rankable. They often pay less attention to a school's true culture and values. Is it elitist and condescending (potentially racist with a mainstream white supremacist undertone)? Or is it highly competitive, promoting certain highly disciplined gender roles (masculinity, ladylikeness)? Or perhaps it advocates for progress and inclusivity? This question isn't directly correlated with academic level or resources, but for high school students who are in a critical period of value formation, I believe it's the most crucial question. I would say that CSW's goal and design are to cultivate students who care about social justice and understand societal tensions. The school, in its philosophy and culture, pays attention to non-American and non-mainstream perspectives and voices.

【Location】The school is near Boston, surrounded by many renowned universities, offering abundant educational resources, with direct flights available from the home country.
【Curriculum】The school offers 250+ courses, features modular teaching, and provides various academic support services.
【Special Programs】Offers 50+ visual arts courses, strong in visual and performing arts, 3D printing, art exhibitions, music, and drama performances.
【Arts Programs】Strong in visual and performing arts, 50+ art courses, 3D printing, art exhibitions, music, and drama performances.
【Sports Programs】12 varsity sports teams including soccer, basketball, and volleyball, as well as various non-competitive sports activities.
【University Admissions】Graduates have been admitted to prestigious universities such as Columbia, Harvard, Cornell, Yale, Duke, and UC Berkeley.

1. Unique Module-based teaching system, over 300 course options, 6 semesters per year, each semester lasting 6 weeks, with the option to choose 3 academic courses + 1 sports/art or other extracurricular activity per semester.
2. Strong art courses with a wide variety, including painting, sculpture, pottery, photography, filmmaking, etc.
3. Emphasis on practical application of courses, with significant laboratory participation in life sciences courses.

Cambridge School of Weston has a good location, very close to Boston. It boasts a strong arts program and a unique Module System, allowing students to choose suitable courses based on their interests and characteristics, with over 300 courses available. Students with a strong inclination towards art are often admitted to the Rhode Island School of Design and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The hardware facilities are excellent, the proportion of Chinese students is well controlled, and university placements are very good. Painting courses are highly subdivided into many types of drawing classes, including abstract painting, collage, drawing concepts, drawing and life, nature and observation, non-objective abstraction, etc.

The arts are strong, with a unique module system. Students choose courses that suit their interests and characteristics. There are over 300 courses available for students, including painting, sculpture, photography, filmmaking, digital art, and pottery. Students with a strong passion for art are often admitted to institutions like the Rhode Island School of Design and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The Cambridge School of Weston (CSW), located in Weston, Massachusetts, is a co-educational boarding school that provides education for grades 9 to 12. Founded in 1886, the school has a rich history and is an excellent university preparatory school. CSW is dedicated to discovering and nurturing the strengths of every student, offering diverse curricula and a wide range of teaching methods. The school's unique modular curriculum provides in-depth and innovative instruction, even including visual and performing arts. Through a variety of courses and diverse teaching models, the school develops students' independence, creativity, and active thinking skills, enabling them to learn more deeply and proactively. With nearly 300 courses offered, no two students will have exactly the same schedule, as the school promotes holistic development, laying a solid foundation for entry into higher education institutions.

The school is located in northern Massachusetts, less than an hour's drive from Boston. It boasts advanced art facilities, including a full-service theater (250 seats), a black box theater (50 seats), a recital hall, and music practice rooms. It also features studio spaces, darkrooms, multimedia labs, large format printers, pottery wheels, and kilns.

All upper-level students are required to complete a Capstone project, which demonstrates the interdisciplinary, critical, and creative thinking skills they have learned at CSW.

Historically, students admitted to this school achieved TOEFL scores of 90-105 and SSAT scores of 2100-2200.

CSW is indeed very special; those who love it will absolutely adore it, though it might not be suitable for every child. The school is compact and exquisite, boasting an excellent geographical location. Its curriculum design is similar to that of Madeira School, both employing a Module System with 6 modules per year, each lasting 6 weeks. Students attend 3 Blocks of classes daily, each 90 minutes long, with the 4th D Block primarily dedicated to extracurricular activities such as sports and performing arts. The school's art program is undoubtedly very strong, and it also offers excellent biology courses.

Anne-Catherine, who is responsible for international student admissions, possesses a deep understanding of China, having previously worked in Shanghai. While availability for school visits and interviews is limited, the school provides exceptionally thoughtful care for visiting families. They specifically arranged two teachers to host, one of whom can speak Chinese, and both were remarkably patient and thorough in explaining and answering questions.

The Cambridge School of Weston has visited this school multiple times. The school is located in Cambridge, it's not large, and it gives me a feeling of tranquility, old-world charm, and a sense of home. The school has an excellent location, just 20 minutes from downtown Boston in the affluent area of Weston, and covers 65 acres.
1. The school's arts programs are excellent. Visual arts and music are superb, and the teachers are very nice, always encouraging students regardless of their skill level. The school stages theatrical performances every year, and the hallways are adorned with students' own creative works. The school facilities are also excellent, featuring a full-service theater (250 seats), a black box theater (50 seats), a concert hall, and music practice rooms.
2. Sports are also good: the school's boys' and girls' basketball teams, boys' soccer team, boys' tennis team, ultimate frisbee team, and cross-country team have all won leagues or championships. The school has a 14,000-square-foot indoor gymnasium, baseball fields, and a swimming pool, among other facilities.
3. It emphasizes social justice, focusing on issues like gender equality, immigration, race, and poverty, and is the first private boarding high school to make social justice a required course.
4. CSW's biggest feature is its Module System curriculum, which is more like a university's course selection method. The school offers over 200 different courses. At the beginning of each new semester, students choose courses that suit their interests and characteristics.

CSW is one of the best independent schools in the United States, located just 12 miles from downtown Boston. The school spans 65 acres, with 30% of its students boarding and international students making up 11% of the student body. CSW offers a rich curriculum with over 250 courses, boasting strong academics; the Class of 2019 had an average SAT score of 1297. The faculty is highly distinguished, including renowned scholars such as writers, poets, mathematicians, and musicians. CSW's art program is particularly strong, with 5-10% of graduates annually enrolling in professional art colleges to study visual arts, performing arts, and other related fields.