Middlesex School is a coeducational, non-sectarian, day and boarding independent secondary school for grades 9-12 located in Concord, Massachusetts. It was founded as an all-boys school in 1901 by a Roxbury Latin School alumnus, Frederick Winsor, who headed the school until 1937. Middlesex began admitting girls in 1974. The school is a member of the prestigious Independent School League and is one of five schools collectively known as St. Grottlesex.
The school was named for the county Middlesex in which it stands. The campus was designed by the Olmsted Brothers architectural firm, and the firm Peabody and Stearns designed most of the main buildings. A recent addition is the Clay Centennial Center, completed in 2003, which hosts science and math classes as well as an observatory with an 18-inch research grade telescope.
The school is 70% boarding students and 30% day students. In 2016-17, boarding students came from 30 states and 15 countries. The school accepted 18% of students who applied to enter in 2016-2017. In that year, 35 percent of students received financial aid from a $5.7 million financial aid budget.
Campus and facilities
Middlesex School Summer Arts Program - Summer arts program at the Middlesex School, Concord, MA.
The Middlesex School campus is located in Concord, Massachusetts, about 20 miles outside of Boston. Most of the campus buildings are located around The Circle, a grassy field at the center of the school. There are four dorms for boys (Clay, Landry, Robert-Winsor, and Atkins) and five dorms for girls (BP, Higginson, Hallowell, LeBaron-Briggs, and Kravis). There are three academic buildings: the Clay Centennial Center, constructed in 2003, Eliot Hall, which also houses several administrative offices, and the Rachel Carson Music and Campus Center, which houses the music, drama, and Spanish classes. The Theater is currently under construction and the visual arts classes which it used to house are in a modular building. The Warburg Library, besides housing Middlesex's collection of books and magazines, also contains classrooms and the Middlesex Archives. The dining hall is located in Ware Hall, as well as more administrative offices and the student center. Many members of the faculty live on campus, either in dorms or in several faculty houses.
At Middlesex, there are two turf fields for field hockey and lacrosse, five grass fields (for soccer, lacrosse, and football), a wrestling room, a dance studio, a baseball diamond, eight outdoor tennis courts, eight squash courts, two basketball courts, an ice rink, a boathouse and large pond (Bateman's Pond) for crew, and a fitness center (the James Oates '65 Center).
Students
Middlesex has 395 students from 15 countries and 30 states. 12% of students are international students and 32% are racially non-white. 70% of the school are boarders and 30% are day students. All students are in grades 9-12.
Tuition is $58,020 for boarders and $46,420 for day students. Need-based financial aid supports 35% of the student body. The Middlesex annual financial aid budget is $5.7 million and the average aid grant is $45,200.
Faculty
Middlesex School has about 90 members of the faculty. In 2015-16, 71 percent of the teaching faculty have an advanced degree.
Academics
The average class size at Middlesex is 12. Middlesex offers 23 AP (Advanced Placement) classes with at least one in every department: English, Math, Sciences, Computer Sciences, Social Science (including History), Modern Languages, Classics, and Arts.
For the class of 2016, the mean Middlesex SAT score was 2100. 85% of the AP tests taken by Middlesex students in 2015 had scores of 4 or 5 and 98% of AP tests taken had scores of 3, 4, or 5.
Arts
Middlesex offers several arts courses and extracurriculars. AP Art History, AP Studio Art, and AP Music Theory are offered. Neither the Chamber Ensemble nor the Jazz Orchestra requires an audition.
Athletics
Middlesex fields teams in 17 different sports and competes in the Independent School League. The fall sports are football, cross country, volleyball, soccer, and field hockey; the winter sports are wrestling, dance, squash, ice hockey, alpine skiing, and basketball; the spring sports are crew, lacrosse, baseball, tennis, track, and golf.
Middlesex's primary athletic rival is the St. George's School.
Extracurricular activities
Besides the arts and athletics programs, there are several dozen student-run clubs that receive funding from the school administration, including the student Senate, Young Democrats Club, Young Republicans Club, two book clubs, Short Story Society, Robotics Club, Math Club, Politically Incorrect Debate Club, Society of Latinos, GSA, French Club, Science Club, JSA (the Junior Statesmen of America), Common Sense (an environmental club), Middlesex Couture, Finance Club, Zebrettes (a club that sponsors activities that connect students with young faculty children), and more.
The Middlesex student newspaper is The Anvil, which releases several physical issues as well as online content through its website. An Anvil tradition is the annual Anvil Poll, which polls the student body on itself. The Middlesex literary publication is The Iris, which contains short stories, poetry, drawings, and photos sent in by students.
Community service
Middlesex offers several community service programs. Students may help clean up a food pantry at Open Table (weekly), serve food and clean at a food pantry at Cor Unum (on long weekends), talk to people at a home for the elderly at Walden House (weekly), visit the elderly at Sunday Visits (special schedule), and help small children learn to skate at Gazebo (special schedule). Every fall, all students participate in a Community Service Day instead of going to classes. Several student Community Service Officers, all seniors, help manage the program.
Juniors may participate in the Youth in Philanthropy Program, which focuses on teaching students the techniques behind philanthropy and provides $10,000 for the students to distribute to worthy causes annually.
Every summer, the school sponsors a community service trip to the Linawo Children's Home in South Africa, where students tour the surrounding area, learn about South African culture and history, and assist in the operation of the shelter.
Chapel program
Middlesex community (the entire student body and faculty and staff) meets in the school chapel for a speech given by a senior on the topic of the senior's choosing. Most speeches are given by one senior, though 'dual chapels' (chapel speeches given by two seniors) are permitted. Spots in the chapel program are allocated in the beginning of the school year.
Throughout the year, there are also several class chapels (gatherings involving one grade) and a few evening chapels, which are given by faculty members and outside speakers.
Notable alumni
References
External links
- Middlesex School Website
- Profile on Boarding School Review.com
- Middlesex Graduates for Estabrook Homepage
- Two Middlesex Alumnae Protest Development of Estabrook
- Middlesex School Summer Arts Website