Commonwealth School Profile 2018-2019

School Profile 2018-2019 CEEB School Code: 220222 William D. Wharton, Headmaster​​ ​bwharton@commschool.org​, 617.266.7525 x231 Sophia S. Meas, Director of College Counseling​​ ​smeas@commschool.org​, 617.266.7525 x242 Commonwealth School, an independent school for 150 students in grades 9-12, is widely recognized for its rigorous and adventurous intellectual exploration. Median combined SAT scores typically fall in the 1450-1500 range. All students in the Class of 2018 were admitted to four-year colleges and universities.

Ranking ​Commonwealth School does not rank its students.

Transcripts​​ All ninth-grade courses are graded Pass (P)/Fail (E). Straight A's are rare.

Grading Scale: A+ ​(100-97); ​A ​(96-93); ​A- ​(92-90); ​B+ ​(89-87);​ B ​(86-83);​ B- ​(82-80); ​C+​​ (79-77);​ C ​(76-73);​ C(72-70);​ D+​​ (69-67);​ D ​(66-63);​ D- ​(62-60);​ E​​ (below 60).

Course Offerings ​Most Honors (H) and all Advanced Placement (AP) courses are taught at the college level. AP equivalent or higher (APE) courses surpass AP requirements. Humanities, language, and computer science courses follow in numerical sequence. Commonwealth offers a range of advanced science and math courses, which progress in difficulty as shown below. Courses marked with an asterisk (*) are taught at AP/APE level or higher.

Biology Biology 1 Biology 2*

Chemistry Chemistry 1 Chemistry 1 Advanced Chemistry 2 (AP)*

Physics Physics 1 Physics 1 Accelerated* Physics 1 Advanced* Physics 2*

Electives:​ ​Gene Expression and Regulation*, Theory of Relativity*, The Science and Art of Materials*, Introduction to Wave Physics* Algebra & Geometry Intermediate Algebra Geometry Geometry Advanced Algebra 2/Precalculus Algebra 2/Precalculus Advanced

Statistics Statistics Statistics (AP) (.5 credit)*

Calculus Calculus 1 Calculus 1 Advanced (AP)* Calculus 2 (AP)* Multivariable Calculus* Theoretical Calculus*

Electives: ​Linear Algebra*, Abstract Algebra*, Medieval Islamic Mathematics* Differential Equations*​, ​Mathematical Logic* Notable Facts about Commonwealth School Academic Honors ​Commonwealth does not confer academic honors. There is no ​Cum Laude​ Society, book awards or prizes for each subject in any year.

Arts ​Students are required to take one art course per year; 40% of students take two or more even though they do not receive academic credit for these courses. Each class meets 2-3 periods per week all year.

Research and Writing ​Using primary sources, students write three long research papers, one each in Ancient History, Medieval World History, and U.S. History.

Community Service ​Students must complete 30 hours of community service. Many exceed the requirement.

Projects ​Every year, students in grades 9-11 design and complete a one-week project or participate in a two-week overseas exchange. During senior year, students create and complete a three-week project.

Jobs ​Nearly all students serve once every two weeks on a crew that cleans up the kitchen and lunchroom. Each year, twenty students are chosen as head waiters and supervise the clean-up crews.

Leadership ​Student government is voluntary; there are no class officers. Club leadership is shared or fluid. Twice a year, the entire school travels to rural Maine on a student-run, adult-chaperoned trip. Some students serve as Day Heads, overseeing work and activities for the day. Other students are Head Cooks, who plan meals for 200 people and direct crews of some dozen sous-chefs and waiters. Students also supervise and serve on clean-up crews.

Sports/Fitness ​Students participate in a sport or fitness program for 2-3 seasons, three afternoons per week.

Class of 2019 Academic Profile There are a total of 42 students in the Class of 2019.

Six members of the class are National Merit Semifinalists.

SAT Scores (as of June 2018) EBRW MATH

Mean 730 750

Middle 50% 720-750 740-780

AP Examination Scores ​By the end of June 2018, 42 students had taken a combined total of 141 AP Exams.

84%​​ of scores were ​4 or 5​​; ​99%​​ of scores were ​3 or above​​. When AP exams are available for APE classes, most students earn a score of ​4 or 5​​.

College and University Matriculation 2013-2018 University of Chicago, 10 Brown University, 8 UMASS Amherst, 8 Harvard College, 7 Cornell University, 7 Swarthmore College, 7 Tufts University, 7 Haverford College, 6 Brandeis University, 5 Columbia University, 5 New York University, 5 Smith College, 5 University of Toronto, 5 Boston University, 5 Boston College, 4 Carleton College, 4 Mass. Institute of Technology, 4 Northeastern University, 4 University of St. Andrews, 4 University of Southern California, 4 Wesleyan University, 4 Bryn Mawr College, 3 Carnegie Mellon University, 3 Case Western Reserve University, 3 Georgetown University, 3 Middlebury College, 3 Oberlin College, 3

Princeton University, 3 Univ. of Massachusetts, Boston, 3 Washington University, St. Louis, 3 Yale University, 3 Bates College, 2 Colby College, 2 Johns Hopkins University, 2 King’s College London, 2 Mount Holyoke College, 2 Northwestern University, 2 Skidmore College, 2 Stanford University, 2 University of Oxford, 2 University of Rochester, 2 Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2 American University, 1 Bowdoin College, 1 California Inst. of Technology, 1 Clark University, 1 Cooper Union, 1 Dartmouth College, 1 Emerson College, 1 Fordham University, 1 Hamilton College, 1 Hunter College, CUNY, 1

Maryland Institute College of Art, 1 Marymount Manhattan College, 1 McGill University, 1 New College of Florida, 1 The New School, 1 Pitzer College, 1 Pomona College, 1 Purchase College, SUNY, 1 Reed College, 1 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1 Rhode Island School of Design, 1 Rollins College, 1 Royal Academy of Music, 1 St. John’s College, 1 St. Michael’s College, 1 Sarah Lawrence College, 1 University College London, 1 University of Connecticut, 1 University of Edinburgh, 1 Vanderbilt University, 1 Vassar College, 1 Wake Forest University, 1 Wellesley College, 1 Wheelock College, 1 Williams College, 1

Disciplinary Reporting Policy ​We report, and we ask students to report, all disciplinary actions that become part of a student’s permanent record. We report any serious disciplinary infractions or violations of academic integrity committed by seniors that result in sanctions.