It’s not our learning experience. It’s yours.
Our academic program, known as the Mod System, offers breadth, depth, and intensity you won’t find at any other high school. Within its 6x6 framework (six terms of six weeks each) — and with the guidance of faculty, advisors, and college counselors — you’ll choose from over 250 classes to craft a highly personalized schedule that prepares you for the rigor of college study, allows you to dive into current areas of interest, and invites you to explore new fields of study.
The CSW academic experience expands and deepens as you progress through the grade levels. Within the 18 main blocks of a single year’s schedule, earlier grades focus on building core competencies and foundational skills while still leaving room for choice and exploration. Scheduling possibilities expand in the upper grades, when opportunities for elective courses increase, and you can more deeply delve into areas of interest, sharpen your focus in chosen subjects, and continue to try out new things.
Program Highlights
Social Justice Requirement
CSW is proud to be the first independent school in the country to include a Social Justice Requirement among our graduation requirements — evidence of our deep commitment to cultivating engaged citizens with global consciousness and a sense of social responsibility.Off-Campus Study
The flexibility within our Mod Plan allows for students to travel for a mod (3-5 weeks) to study: Spanish and ecology in the rainforests of Central America; French language, history, and culture in Quebec or Paris; Mandarin and the arts in China/Taiwan; or marine life at Maine's Hurricane Island Learn more!
PACE: Promoting Awareness & Community Engagement
Through the PACE program, we dedicate time for experiential classes, events, and activities that prepare our students to meet the demands of an increasingly complex and diverse world. A four-year co-curriculum, PACE was designed to ensure that all CSW students develop self-awareness, social consciousness, healthy living habits, and leadership skills Learn more!
Senior Capstone Project
All seniors are required to complete a Capstone Project that demonstrates the interdisciplinary, critical, and creative thinking skills. Recent topics include: Building An Eco-Friendly Computer, Queerness in Chinese Popular Culture, Writing a Novel, Deep Learning Algorithms in Python, Community Demographics & Healthy Food Access, and Bee-Keeping.Learn more!
Tenets of Progressive Education at CSW
Progressive education was introduced in the late 19th century as a response to the standardization of traditional education. Today, in a world where creative thinking is a critical success factor in so many aspects of life and work, its principles are more relevant than ever.
Our faculty have identified the following four tenets of progressive education at CSW:
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Student-oriented: Students who influence their learning by making choices about what and how they learn deepen their interest in the knowledge, skills, and concepts being taught.
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Active: Students who engage through actions with the intent of learning develop transferable learning habits.
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Justice-minded: Students who learn in an environment designed to be equitable and inclusive extend their understanding beyond their biases and assumptions.
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Challenging: Students who embrace learning at the edge of their understanding and ability develop the resilience for challenging growth.
"I make my own unique schedule."
"The mod system has allowed me to try classes that no other school offers. Because I make my own unique schedule, I have the motivation to invest my time and effort into learning. It gives me the opportunity to explore a singular topic in depth, and the classes themselves go far beyond the classroom and into the real world."
— Malik, Randolph, MA
Graduation Requirements
ENGLISH
Grade 9: Writing Foundations Workshop (2 Blocks) + 1 Elective Literary Arts Courses
Grade 10: Writing About Reading (1 Block, American Literature) + 2 Elective Literary Arts Courses
Grade 11: Writing About Reading 2 (1 Block, American Literature) + 2 Elective Literary Arts Courses
Grade 12: 3 Electives
HISTORY
Grade 9: Food, Justice, Power + 1 Elective
Grade 10: U.S. Overview (USO) Writing + Recommended USO Content and/or Elective
Grade 11: 3 Electives
Grade 12: 3 Electives
MATHEMATICS
Geometry + Algebra 2 + 1 Block Beyond Algebra 2
SCIENCE
Biology + STEAM + 3 Blocks Beyond STEAM
LANGUAGE
Language Level 3 (3A and 3B, 2 mods each)
International students and language waiver qualified students may opt out of this requirement.
ARTS
Students must complete coursework in three of four disciplines.
Grade 9: 2 Blocks
Grade 10: 2 Blocks
Grade 11: 2 Blocks
Grade 12: 2 Blocks
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
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10 Social Justice courses over CSW career
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Involvement in PACE programming
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3 Athletic credits per year
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One athletic exemption is granted for mainstage productions. Students are limited to two athletic exemptions per year.
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6 D Block credits
The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.