CRS students use intellect, experience, and optimism to see what’s possible. Through observing, hypothesizing, investigating, and revising they solve problems and ask new questions. Our students learn to use both inquiry and creativity to build practical skills, discover new interests, and take responsibility for themselves, their communities, and the future.

In 1911, four sets of parents founded Charles River School with the mission of finding a better way to educate their children. On a small Needham, Massachusetts farm, they established a school that would: offer strong academic programs, advance moral learning, lead innovation in education and, instill in its students a love of learning. These parents also wanted to be actively involved in the education of their children, a tradition that would become a cornerstone of the school's philosophy.

In 1917, CRS moved to Dover, Massachusetts. Behind the school’s original Victorian house lies a 16-acre campus designed for educating the whole child. From academic buildings and play spaces to labs, studios, and athletic fields, each space has a role to play in support of learning.

After more than a century of educating children, we continue to offer a challenging academic program that teaches crucial skills, through an intellectually and culturally rich learning environment.