Through integrated studies courses co-taught by faculty from different departments, or our focus fusion offerings, students here think beyond traditional boundaries to make deeper, more connected discoveries.
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Academics
A CSW Education
Designed for What's Next
Because education shouldn't stand still.
As the world rapidly changes, traditional educational models have struggled to keep pace, and the gap between what students are taught and what the future demands continues to widen. At CSW, our progressive model utilizes a modern, dynamic framework that gives us the flexibility to address the specific needs of each generation, equipping students with the skills to thrive in a future that's still being written.Through our intensive Module System, students are able to lead their own learning, focusing deeply on a few subjects at a time and exploring ideas that actually matter to them, making for an experience that is as intellectually demanding as it is personally meaningful. The result is a student body prepared to navigate complexity, ask bold questions, and take ownership of their place in the world.
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The Mod System
In place of a traditional semester or trimester model, the CSW calendar year is divided into six, six-week modules in a framework we know as the Mod System. During each mod, students take three blocks of academic classes that meet every day, usually for 90 minutes. This setup allows for breadth, depth, and curricular agency you won't find at any other school.
Learn How it Works
John R.P. French, CSW Head of School 1930 – 1947
The progressive school teaches students to think for themselves instead of passively accepting stereotyped ideas. It keeps always in mind the fact that each child is different from every other, and that what makes an educated person useful in their particular walk of life, what makes them interesting, what makes them an individual, is not their resemblances to other people but their differences.
Signature Programs
CSW's academic experience is anything but conventional. Our signature academic programs allow students to dive into interdisciplinary topics, venture off-campus for real-world study, explore their own identities, and gain hands-on work experience.
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The Social Justice Requirement
Our groundbreaking Social Justice Graduation Requirement challenges students to confront real-world issues, question systems of power, and explore models for equity and human rights. -
Place-Based Learning
Whether immersed in a Mod Abroad in France or conducting field research on the Maine coast, students engage in hands-on, interdisciplinary learning that brings classroom concepts to life and deepens real-world understanding. -
Interdisciplinary Study
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The Community Ambassador Program
Every student spends at least one mod as a Community Ambassador, partnering with a school department to gain hands-on experience and behind-the-scenes insight into how the school runs. -
PACE: Promoting Awareness & Community Engagement
PACE is a program designed to ensure that all students develop self-awareness, healthy living habits, and a sense of belonging, cultivating skills to create a more just and sustainable world.
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Graduation Requirements
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English
Grade 9: Writing Foundations Workshop (2 Blocks) + 1 Elective Literary Arts CoursesGrade 10: Writing About Reading 1 + 2 Elective Literary Arts CoursesGrade 11: Writing About Reading 2 + Advanced Writing PortfolioGrade 12: 3 Electives -
History
Grade 9: Food, Justice, Power + 1 ElectiveGrade 10: Race in the U.S.: Black America and/or ElectiveGrade 11: 3 ElectivesGrade 12: 3 Electives -
Language
Language Level 3 (3A and 3B, 2 mods each)International students and language waiver qualified students may opt out of this requirement. -
Mathematics
Geometry + Algebra 2 + 1 Block Beyond Algebra 2 -
Science
Biology + STEAM + 3 Blocks Beyond STEAM -
Visual & Performing Arts
Students must complete coursework in three of four disciplines.Grade 9: 2 BlocksGrade 10: 2 BlocksGrade 11: 2 BlocksGrade 12: 2 Blocks -
Additional Requirements
10 Social Justice courses over CSW careerInvolvement in PACE programming3 Athletic credits per yearOne athletic exemption is granted for mainstage productions. Students are limited to two athletic exemptions per year.18 D Block credits (6 in Grade 9; 5 in Grade 10; 4 in Grade 11; 3 in Grade 12)
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.