Fayerweather is known for our unique culture, which helps students connect with their own curiosity to find joy in the learning process. Our vibrant classrooms are filled with passionate teachers and engaged learners. We hope our website inspires you to come see for yourself how we are igniting confidence by truly knowing each child, engaging their intellect, and awakening their imagination.
Want to learn more about the school and our enrollment process?
Commitment to Social Justice
Fayerweather is committed to developing a strong sense of community in which every member feels valued.
Fully Knowing Each Child
Our educators are committed to forging connections with students and are empowered to respond to students’ passions and curiosity in the classroom.
The Potential for Joy in All Learning
Honoring the pace of childhood and nurturing joy is key to a fulfilling educational experience.
Learning in Community is Powerful
Students at Fayerweather learn in collaboration, building their classroom communities by finding commonalities and valuing differences.
Addressing The Themes and Issues of Our Time
The heart of progressive education is imperative to respond to the world around us.
We Are All Global Citizens
Part of being a responsible citizen is taking care of the environment and understanding our behaviors' impact on the earth.
At Fayerweather we are committed to keeping our school affordable to families of different economic means, believing that socio-economic diversity is an important component of our mission. We work closely with each family to do our best to make tuition and a Fayerweather education within reach for as many applicants as possible. Extracurricular activities and extended care are pro-rated at approximately the same level as tuition. In the 2020-2021 school year, Fayerweather allocated more than $1,200,000 to a program of need-based tuition assistance. This year 30% of the student body will receive tuition assistance. The average aid amount is approximately $21,000.
FSS News
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STEM at Fayerweather: Conferences, Curriculum, and Camaraderie
This past fall, Stacey and I attended the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers (MAST) conference in Marlborough, where we immediately felt at home among the tables of science merch, lesson resources, and a healthy dose of enthusiastic puns. MAST is the local chapter of the National Association of Science Teachers that put on the much larger conference we attended and presented at in Philadelphia last spring. The MAST schedule was packed with relevant workshops ranging from outdoor education and STEM simulations to data set integration and the evolving role of AI in the classroom. Navigating the dense program required some tough choices, but I was particularly drawn to sessions focused on integrating science into elementary classrooms and building teacher confidence in STEM. Attending these sessions reinforced just how advanced Fayerweather’s Lower School science program truly is; while many educators are just beginning to bridge these gaps, our school has spent years refining our curriculum through dedicated professional development.Read More -
A Stage for Every Voice: Fayerweather’s Unit Play and the Power of Student-Led Theatre
Read MoreThe Unit Play has been a Fayerweather tradition for over 30 years! Since the project began, it has taken many forms. At one point, participation in the play was mandatory for all Unit students, and rehearsals took place during the school day. Eventually, it shifted to an after-school program, with the genre alternating year to year between Shakespeare and a contemporary play. During the COVID pandemic, Fayerweather students were among the first to present Zoom theatre, even devising an original play specifically for the virtual format. Most recently, Fayerweather has participated in the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s (METG) Middle School Drama Festival as one of 90 middle school members.Fayerweather students have thrived in the METG one-act festival, presenting Twelfth Night, The Con, and, this spring, The Giver.What makes this experience so special? Students take the lead in every way imaginable, serving as performers, technicians, designers, musicians, and audience members. Their efforts have been celebrated with special recognition awards for acting, musical performance, technical excellence, and creative design. However, our involvement with METG doesn’t begin and end with the drama festival. This December, our artistic students received additional recognition when Rosie Karlsson presented their original costume design at METG’s Excellence in Technical Theatre Contest. -
Productive Struggle and Deep Learning in Math
Read MoreOver the past four years, I’ve had a chance to experience our math curriculum, Illustrative Math, in action. Over this time I’ve seen students' communication skills grow as well as their confidence as problem solvers. I think these developments can be attributed to two aspects of the curriculum: the inclusion of low floor/high ceiling activities at the start of most lessons and the focus on productive struggle within the lessons.
Low floor/high ceiling math tasks are just as they are described. These tasks are intentionally designed so that every student can begin, no matter their starting point, while still providing opportunities for deep thinking and extension. When students experience this kind of learning environment, they engage more readily, feel more motivated, build stronger connections with classmates, and discover genuine joy in mathematical exploration -
Unity in Community
Read MoreAt Fayerweather we use the word community a lot. In our mission we speak about a joyful and collaborative learning community, we believe learning in community is powerful and complex, and we are committed to creating a community where every member feels valued. In the past few weeks, that sense of community has come through powerfully. The Fayerweather Families put the UNITY in commUNITY. As we move toward the end of the year, a time when many of us pause to reflect on what we value most, I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to every family who has already contributed to the Solid and Strong CommUNITY Fund, we are now at 88% participation from our families and 100% from the Board of Directors. Your generosity is felt deeply across the school in classrooms buzzing with ideas, in the confidence of students discovering new strengths, and in the joy that comes from knowing they belong to a community that truly sees and supports them.This season invites us to reflect on what matters: connection, purpose, and the shared responsibility of building something meaningful together. At Fayerweather, we believe education is not simply preparation for life — it is life happening in real time. It is curiosity in action, identity in formation, and joy in discovery. It is students building understanding not just from books, but from each other, the world around them, and the trust we place in their potential. -
Environmental Responsibility at Fayerweather: Experiential Learning That Takes Root
Read MoreAt Fayerweather Street School, our approach to caring for the environment is woven directly into the fabric of daily school life. As someone who sees the building and grounds through the lens of operations, I’m continually struck by how deeply our values of conservation, sustainability, and hands-on environmental learning show up in every corner of campus. These efforts aren’t add-ons or special projects; they’re part of who we are as a community, shaped each day by the enthusiasm and curiosity of our students and the dedication of our staff.It doesn’t take long to learn that Fayerweather Street School is committed to integrating conservation, sustainability efforts, and environmental education into the school’s daily life. This can be seen inside the building and around the grounds .
Coming Up at FSS
List of 5 events.
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Come & Play: Music, Movement, & Mobilization - Prospective Family Open House
First, we're going to sing songs and move and groove with the renowned Julie Winslow! Then this rockin' dance party will be followed by a chance to explore our PreK and K classrooms with our librarian Zoan Stokes as she marches us through change making actions and activists.
As always, there will also be and free time in the gym for kids to get their sillies out!
This is open to all families, so bring a friend. Register here. -
PCA Meeting at FSS
Join us after drop-off in the Music Room for coffee and conversation and a visit from Anna L and Bran to talk about SEL, Student Support, and Health & Wellness. Questions? Check in with PCA Co-Chairs Abby and Elizabeth at: FayerweatherPCA@fayerweather.org. If school is closed due to the possible storm, this meeting will be rescheduled.FSS
Fayerweather Street School | 765 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 | 617-876-4746
Fayerweather is a private PreK, kindergarten, elementary and middle school. We engage each child’s intellect.
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS
Fayerweather Street School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin (ancestry), or disability in administration of its educational, admissions, and financial aid policies, as well as, athletic and other school-administered programs.