We are in the process of deciding on our son’s school choice.
He was offered an admission at both the Concord Academy and Commonwealth School.
We know both schools are very different, although academically rigorous.
Mainly we are interested to know about the culture in either school: we don’t want toxic, competitive culture to be prevalent , yet w care about strong academics and not too concerned about less focus on sports.
I would appreciate comments from recent students and/or parents of past/recent students!
I’m going to sound really unhelpful, but with each grade having about 40 people, the environment can vary dramatically from grade to grade. My grade is, in the most loving way possible, a bunch of competitive psychos, and the grade below us less so. It is not like all 40 kids form one cohesive friend group, however, so even in more competitive grades, it is possible to find a group of people who don’t buy into all that.
Academics are very strong and central to the culture of the school. Think talking about Shakespeare over ice cream or whining about your Chem test at lunch. Again, the degree of this varies from friend group to friend group, but it’s definitely a thing.
It’s a good thing that you’re not too concerned about sports, because while there are some friend groups that are interested in sports, for the most part interest is low and we suck. We won the league championship in Boys’ Soccer last year, but we have not seen highs like that since.
Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any other questions!
Thanks a bunch for your response! On a contrary, I find it very helpful.
I am curious how many people in the school also do something seriously extracurricular outside of school? Is there a time for it or academics fully consume you and takes all the time?
Separately - if you don’t mind me asking: assuming you have some people from suburban towns - how do they find their commute? Do most use public transportation or getting rides to school?
Lastly, do you feel the school environment and teachers changed a lot since you’ve started few years ago?
We are in the same process. My DD is leaning toward Commonwealth School due to its stronger academics and fewer (easier?) requirements on sports.
However, my only concern is the commute. It will take her about 1.5 hours to get there by subway or an hour by car. On the other hand, it will take her 15 mins to get to CA by car.
From what I know from families that have kids who attend, my perception is there is a lot more homework and stress at Commonwealth than CA.
CA athletic requirements are pretty low, though agree higher than Commonwealth. I know someone at CA that had “hiking in Concord” as a “sport” and sounds like they walked around town and some local trails for 45 minutes to an hour 3 days a week (maybe 4?). Truly, if we were all following evidence we probably would make (nearly) all kids walk 45 minutes in the woods each day;) Anyway, I can 100% understand get not wanting a big focus on sports though just wanted to be clear it seemed a pretty low bar at CA in comparison to many schools (and I think being in a big play counts as a sport too - but don’t quote me on that).
If it is one way, I think that is going to be a long 4 years personally. Kids do it, but the student will need to be able to get some homework done on T (or in car) most likely if they are to get to bed at a normal hour and have any time but for homework.
Thank you for your input, L_NewEngland !
I am getting the same vibe about the strong academics and likely associated stress at Commonwealth.
I am less concerned with HW stress, but more about the culture/environment of the student body. With grade size around 40 in Commonwealth and around 60 day/40 boarder at CA (2.5 times larger size): the atmosphere would also likely be different.
Maybe students feel closer with all-day class, compared to the mixed environment.
On the other hand, in either school a student can find a smaller group of closer friends, so not sure how much this matters.
I gather that being in the center of Boston has its perks and stressors, with more independence compared to a cozy feel of Concord Center.
I feel commuting time alone would be a deciding factor. 2-3 hour daily commute is too much for many adults, let alone kids, and they have to do this for the next four years. This impacts their quality of life in my opinion.
We also live in the suburbs. My son initially wanted to apply to BB&N but dropped it after his tour and interview because he said he didn’t want to spend so much time every day in the car.
Hi, I was recently accepted to CA and could share my stats if that helps. This won’t be the whole picture but just the jist:
I came from a solid feeder school that is known to matriculate to CA. My Ssat score was 88th percentile and I had a 3.85 and 4.85 gpa in all honors classes which were pretty challenging. I think my academics were decent but what really got me in I think were my athletics. I emailed the coach there and we exchanged a couple emails and had a short call and he “sent my info over to admissions” which I think means he stamped my application for further appeal and looking at which gives my application more leeway and is very helpful. I also had a very good interview and connected very well with the interviewer sharing about my passion and the projects I’ve done with it. I think my application goes to show that it’s not only about academics and that character and extra curricular activities matter a lot and I am incredibly excited to attend.
