Community

Student Life

Grow Boldly. Live Fully. Learn Together

Life at CSW is vibrant, inclusive, and deeply student-driven. From leading interest groups and organizing events to serving on committees and creating new initiatives, students shape the culture of our community every day. Through the advisory program, each student is grounded in strong relationships and personalized support, while our comprehensive approach to health, wellness, and safety ensures every student feels secure, seen, and empowered to thrive—both in and out of the classroom.

A Trusted Anchor in a Dynamic School Life

The Advisory Program

At CSW, each student is paired with a dedicated advisor—someone who gets to know them well, advocates for them, and stays closely connected to their academic and personal journey.

With small groups and weekly check-ins built into the schedule, advisory is more than a meeting—it’s a space for reflection, connection, and support. Whether gathering as a group or grabbing lunch one-on-one, advisors help students feel grounded and seen.

Student Leadership Opportunities

Whether it’s working alongside administrators to develop school policies, serving on the Board of Trustees, reviewing and co-creating curriculum, or interviewing faculty candidates, students are deeply embedded in the leadership and decision-making fabric of the school.

This isn’t symbolic. It’s intentional. It’s part of our belief that students learn best when they are active agents in their own education—and when they’re given the trust, respect, and power to make an impact.

Because the World Needs Better Leaders.

List of 10 items.

  • Advisory Board

    The Advisory Board, also known as A-Board, makes formal recommendations to the Head of School about school policy. Working with the dean of students, the board reviews and revises the Student Handbook each spring and brings forth proposed changes for full-school discussion at Town Meeting. The board consists of nine elected student members—the head of A-Board, plus two representatives from each class—plus four faculty members. Meetings are open to all.
  • Assembly Coordinators

    Assemblies provide regular gatherings of the school community for announcements, election speeches, performances and special events. Together with the deans and the head of school, Student Assembly Coordinators lead and moderate the assemblies. Elected by the entire school community, assembly coordinators are a liaison through which community members give feedback and ideas regarding the gatherings.
  • Class Coordinators

    The purpose of class meeting is to create a setting where students can engage in grade-specific and developmentally appropriate discussions. The class meeting coordinator is a student elected position with two members from each class. Through Mod 3, the role of ninth grade class meeting coordinator will be taken by class advisors. During Mod 4 class meetings, ninth grade class meeting coordinators would be elected. The class meeting coordinstor are in charge of organizing the agenda of class meetings, and working to facilitate and moderate the discussion of these topics in conjunction with class advisors and the Student Life Office.
  • Community Service Committee

    Chaired by the Director of Social Justice and Multicultural Programming, the group includes students, faculty, staff and administrators. The group plans ongoing community service activities, special assemblies, and any community service days or fairs that may be held. Each grade will elect two members. Meetings are open to all.
  • Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action (IDEA) Committee

    The IDEA Committee is a group of students, staff and faculty whose purpose is to work together to make CSW an open and safe community that encourages all voices to be heard in a respectful manner, promoting the enrichment of our school culture through discussions, events and wide-ranging curricula. As a committee, the group seeks to foster a campus that provides a sense of inclusiveness that reflects the broad range of ages, races, genders, ethnicities, cultures, nationalities, religions, sexual orientations, social and economic classes, and physical and learning differences in our community. There are two representatives from each class and meetings are open to all.
  • Judicial Board

    The Judicial Board, also known as J-Board, is composed of students and faculty and strives to give fair, impartial hearings to students involved in major violation of school policies. A total of four student representatives (one from each class), plus four alternates, are elected to serve on J-Board, alongside four faculty members.
  • Student Curriculum Committee

    The Student Curriculum Committee meets regularly with the academic dean to discuss various aspects of academic life, such as new courses, the daily schedule and the needs of different departments. The group also interviews prospective teachers. Two representatives from each class are elected each year to serve on the committee.
  • Sustainability Committee

    The Sustainability Committee is comprised of students and adults in the CSW community working together to create and support a systematic and ongoing sustainability culture on campus, developing clear plans for making CSW a more sustainable community. Each class elects representatives to serve on the committee, and two students from each dorm are elected as Sustainability Stewards, supporting sustainable practices in the residential community. Meetings are open to all.
  • The Board of Trustees

    CSW is proud to be one of two independent schools in the nation to have students serve on its Board of Trustees with full voting privileges. One boarding and one day student are elected by the student body to serve one-year terms as full voting members, representing student views to the board.
  • Town Meeting Moderators

    Modeled after the traditional New England-style of democratic self-governance, Town Meeting acts as a central forum for debate and a place for the school community to vote on important issues. The Town Meeting Moderator, a student elected by the entire student body to serve in this role, presides over each meeting and all community members are eligible to speak to and vote on individual warrants at hand.

Affinity, Interest, and Alliance Groups

Find your people. 


Through CSW's Affinity, Interest, and Alliance (AIA) groups, students make friends, deepen their self-awareness, give back, and build real-world leadership skills—all while helping make CSW a more inclusive, vibrant, and inspired place to be.

Affinity and alliance groups provide space for students with shared identities or experiences to connect, reflect, and support one another, while interest groups and clubs bring together students around passions like music, art, science, activism, and more. Students are encouraged to create new groups at any time, so offerings evolve with the community.
    • AIA Group Collage

      Circle of Sisters_2

    • AIA Group Collage

      chess club

Health & Wellness

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.