Darrow School

Two of my children have attended Darrow School. Darrow is a school that educates the whole person and develops skills that create life long learners. The community is supportive and challenging, providing a rigorous academic program in an active learning framework. The students are partners in their education, working with faculty that are innovative and dedicated. The community is welcoming and fosters responsibility and respect for everyone. All located in a beautiful historic spot - Darrow is a small school that does big things!

Darrow delivers on its promises. Small class sizes, talented faculty, strong support system, beautiful learning environment. You might find all of these traits at a handful of private boarding schools. However, the way Darrow combines them and expresses them attributes to the school a uniqueness you won’t find elsewhere. For me, Darrow presented an opportunity to discover my own values, interests, and goals. I spent my first and sophomore years of high school in public school, and defined myself according to numbers – AP and SAT scores, GPA, hours spent studying and volunteering, number of sports played, etc. Within the context of public education, my worldview narrowed. Spending my junior and senior years at Darrow reversed this way of thinking. I learned that I could still be challenged academically, participate in sports and other activities, and have fun along the way.

The supportive community and emphasis on collaboration allowed me to develop friendships with fellow students and teachers that not only enriched my learning experience as a whole, but also reconnected me to my own values. I also got to know my brother again (he and I attended Darrow concurrently). I think that with the pressures and distractions that teenagers face, the culture Darrow offers is almost essential in preparation for the next step.

I really do think that my Darrow experience continues to encourage me to make decisions that reflect my values and interests (community, collaboration, creativity, stewardship). The environmental ethos woven through the curriculum also made a lasting impact. I followed my education at Darrow with a B.A. in Architecture and Urbanism from Smith College and a M.A. in Ecological Landscape Design and Planning from the Conway School. I created my own business, founded a collective design studio in Northampton, taught part-time at Smith, and worked at an engineering firm in Boston as a green infrastructure designer in the sustainable stormwater planning group. Currently I am considering an opportunity to enroll in a master’s program at Harvard. I am hard-working, but I am also lucky. The opportunity to attend a private school is something to value. The opportunity to attend Darrow is something to cherish.

I was lucky enough to attend Darrow school for my junior and senior year of high school. I never knew how much it would greatly impact my life. Looking back to 10 years ago, when I graduated, I never would have dreamed that I would have successfully finished Union College and own 3 of my own success businesses. I came to Darrow as what I thought to be a failure, with my grades never over a D or F but when I left Darrow I left a straight A student. The small classrooms, teachers who genuinely care and the community, that built my self esteem and helped me strive for something more than I ever thought possible. With the encouragement I received at Darrow I who I am today and am so grateful for the chance I had to attend. Darrow isn't your typical boarding school; it’s a really special place on the Mountainside.

I graduated from Darrow in the 70s, and our son graduated in 2011. The school boasts the best of many worlds: rigorous academics taught in a way that works for each student; a supportive community that gives kids the room to grow; lots of adults who mentor each student and encourage their exploration of topics that interest them. When you go to Darrow, it changes you in a way that stays with you for life. It is located on a gorgeous campus, infused with history and natural beauty. I feel so lucky to have spent my adolescence there, and what a bonus to give our son the same gift.

We lived in a town with one of the highest-ranked school systems nationally, yet our son was not engaged. Then we discovered Darrow: a stunningly beautiful setting in the Berkshire foothills, a warm and welcoming community, and a collaborative process that turns students into partners in the education process. It transformed our son into an outgoing, enthusiastic and accomplished student and it made his extra-curricular interests blossom. The “Mountainside” is more than a school – it’s the foundation for a lifetime of achievement.