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10 things you'll love about Watkinson School
- Community of Kindness makes every student feel accepted.
- Diploma Programs in Creative Arts and Global Studies allow students to dive deeper into certain subjects and take their education to the next level.
“Because of Watkinson, my daughter knows what she’s capable of. And, also because of Watkinson, she’s capable of a great deal.”
WATKINSON PARENT
Watkinson School is a private coeducational day school for students from grades 6–PG.
Watkinson graduates succeed at the best colleges
and universities in the country.
Watkinson School is an independent college prep school in Hartford, CT for grades 6-PG.
Our curriculum emphasizes depth of knowledge over simple breadth of coverage. Our students are challenged, and encouraged to use their minds and their voices about subjects that really matter...which fosters a love of learning now. Our mission is to develop in our students the power to shape their lives and the world around them. That’s why. Come see for yourself.
180 Bloomfield Ave., Hartford, CT 06105 | Privacy Policy
Hear from Our Community
FOREST ’24, ALUM NOW AT TUFTS
STEFANIE C., WATKINSON PARENT
RIGOR AT WATKINSON
RYAN REESE, UPPER SCHOOL HEAD
Watkinson graduates succeed at the best colleges and universities in the country.
Succeed Now
From our youngest middle school students to our most experienced high school seniors, Watkinson students know they will encounter important, memorable work in their classes each and every day. Watkinson students thrive because they have exemplary teachers, curious and engaged peers, the tools they need to do their best work, and a meaningful curriculum. And the success is cumulative; a great 6th-grade year is the foundation for an even greater 7th-grade year, and so on.
An Exceptional Community
For three consecutive years 94% of students have returned to Watkinson School, our highest retention rate in 40 years. Not only is this historic for Watkinson, but this also far surpasses the current national trend (88% according to NAIS).
Our high retention rate signifies the pride and satisfaction our parents and students have about their Watkinson experiences.
Personalized College Counseling
The college counseling process at Watkinson is student-centered and student-led. It involves an ongoing series of interviews, discussions, and evaluations; a thorough and realistic assessment of each student’s goals, achievements, academic records, and extracurricular activities; and a powerful presentation to colleges of everything a student has to offer. Recent graduates are succeeding at Clark, Cornell, Elon, NYU, and Princeton.
The Proof is in the Numbers
97% of parents agree that Watkinson’s culture promotes and celebrates equity and inclusion of all students. 95% of Watkinson alumni would recommend the school. 37% of alumni are studying/pursuing the health, medicine/science, engineering, tech fields, 22% are in the field of education, and 20% are in business, finance, management. Watkinson alumni recognize that they are taught to excel in critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and writing.
10 Things You'll Love About Watkinson
- Our graduation celebration is like none other. Ours puts the student at the center by having no VIP speaker. Rather, we invite our students to speak or perform.
- The soup. Our dining service is next level and Chef Jessica and her team make homemade soup daily.
- All-school meetings, which happen three times a week, are the heart of our community. If you have something to say, all you have to do is sit in the front row.
- Our community garden has 20 raised beds, its own greenhouse, and worm composting. In harvesting months, our garden yields about 80% of the produce on our salad bar.
- Watkinson’s culture of kindness is unequaled. You will feel it from the moment you step foot on campus.
- Senior projects — Every senior devises a project based on their own essential question; a mentor guides them through their year-long exploration of their topic, and they conduct a two-week internship in February as part of their work.
- Basketball — There is an outdoor basketball hoop in the center of campus. Everybody plays…6th graders with seniors.
- Homemade breakfast — Annually, school leaders surprise students with a homemade breakfast.
- Mornings at Watkinson — Rain or shine, no school day starts without school leaders standing outside and saying good morning to every student.
- Student-teacher success — Relationships are central to student and teacher success. In our 2022 NEASC surveys, students said the best thing about Watkinson was their teachers, and our faculty said the best thing about Watkinson was their students.
- Our graduation celebration is like none other. Ours puts the student at the center by having no VIP speaker. Rather, we invite our students to speak or perform.
- The soup. Our dining service is next level and Chef Jessica and her team make homemade soup daily.
- All-school meetings, which happen three times a week, are the heart of our community. If you have something to say, all you have to do is sit in the front row.
- Our community garden has 20 raised beds, its own greenhouse, and worm composting. In harvesting months, our garden yields about 80% of the produce on our salad bar.
- Watkinson’s culture of kindness is unequaled. You will feel it from the moment you step foot on campus.
- Senior projects — Every senior devises a project based on their own essential question; a mentor guides them through their year-long exploration of their topic, and they conduct a two-week internship in February as part of their work.
- Basketball — There is an outdoor basketball hoop in the center of campus. Everybody plays…6th graders with seniors.
- Homemade breakfast — Annually, school leaders surprise students with a homemade breakfast.
- Mornings at Watkinson — Rain or shine, no school day starts without school leaders standing outside and saying good morning to every student.
- Student-teacher success — Relationships are central to student and teacher success. In our 2022 NEASC surveys, students said the best thing about Watkinson was their teachers, and our faculty said the best thing about Watkinson was their students.
Join us for an Admission Event
An Info Session is an excellent way to get a sense of what Watkinson has to offer. Info sessions include a welcome with Head of School Teri Schrader and Director of Admission John Crosson, an opportunity to hear from faculty and administrators, Q&A with current students, and a campus your (in-person only).
Info Session (Friday, September 26 at 9:00 AM)