Be curious. Be an explorer. Be joyful.

Belmont Day is a place that honors the voices of children. Where the whimsy and wonder of childhood are carefully and intentionally preserved. Where learning real world problem-solving skills happens alongside play.

Our lower school students’ curiosity helps drive the curriculum. A walk in the woods that surround the campus, for example, might inspire a unit on birds and their habitats. Or students who have a strong interest in technology or art might find opportunities to integrate these passions into a social studies or literature project.

They dive into algorithmic thinking from the youngest grades and enjoy a curriculum where subjects don’t exist in silos. A teacher might integrate a technology activity with alphabet recognition by challenging a student to use their coding skills to program a “Bee Bot” robot while also identifying various letters within a maze.

Extra Support

In kindergarten through second grade, a reading specialist works one-on-one and in small groups to provide explicit reading instruction.

In grades three through five, students who benefit from it participate in Focus class. Guided by a learning specialist, they practice strategies for independent success in reading, writing, math, and executive function skills.

With the knowledge that their voices and actions matter, students gain confidence and a belief in their own agency. For example, a second grade read-a-thon raises money for a local farm that donates all of its fresh food to area meal programs and food pantries. Students request pledges from friends and family, track their reading, and then experience a full work day on the farm on community service day.

Students experience the best of both worlds at Belmont Day—they enjoy the warmth and coziness of a small school and the resources of a bigger one. Cross-graded partnerships that pair each older grade with a younger one help build that warmth and community. Through both intentional activities and impromptu fist-bumps in the lunchroom, each child gets a chance to admire an older student and then, someday, to lead the partnership themselves.

Throughout lower school, there are opportunities for risk-taking — thoughtful moments when students are guided to push themselves, learn from their mistakes, and celebrate their efforts. Our faculty are wonderful at understanding each child as an individual, meeting them where they are, and helping them stretch beyond their comfort zone.”

—Betty Chu Pryor Lower School Head

Middle school at Belmont Day creates a steady path between childhood and adolescence, balancing serious learning with playfulness. Students are given the right balance of structure and choice throughout the middle school experience. Middle schoolers make learning their own at BDS thanks to the responsive nature of the curriculum. They can chart their own course with curricular options and opportunities for leadership provided in the arts, athletics, clubs, and world languages.

Guided by a dedicated, skilled faculty, who love working with this age group, students learn to lead with confidence.

Being a pre-k through eighth grade school, we’re at an advantage in terms of keeping childhood going a little longer. For example, in the woods, you can see these really elaborate structures that seventh grade students have built. That kind of imaginative play is so much what they need to stay healthy and feel connected to each other.”

Liz Gray, Middle School Head

Club offerings change every year. Here are some recent favorites:

• Model UN

• Ballet

• Film

• Reverse Engineering

• Cartography