Apple Orchard School (Top Ranked Private School for 2026)

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Quick Facts (2026)

Top Ranked MA School
School Type: Early Childhood / Day Care
Grades: Prekindergarten-Kindergarten
Enrollment: 93 students
Acceptance rate: 20%
Average class size: 13 students
Application Deadline: Dec. 5
Source: ✓Verified school update

School Rankings

Apple Orchard School ranks among the top 20% of private schools in Massachusetts for:

School Facts

School Type

Early Childhood / Day Care

School Membership(s)School Assoc.

National Association for the Education of Young Children
National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE)
New Jersey Association of Independent Schools

Religious Affiliation

Nonsectarian

Grades Offered

Grades Prekindergarten-Kindergarten

Students By Grade

View Data

Distribution of Students By Grade
Grade	Apple Orchard School
Pre-K	75
Kind	18

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ADD/ADHD Support

Yes

Learning Difference Programs

Yes

Year Founded

1971

School Calendar

View School Calendar

Campus Size

100 acres

Student Body

Total Students

93 students

Student Body Type

Co-ed

% Students of Color

30%

State avg.: 31%

Academics & Faculty

Total Classroom Teachers

24 teachers

Student-Teacher Ratio

4:1

National avg.: 11:1

Average Class Size

13 students

Classroom Dress Code

Casual

children play outdoors and get dirty

Tuition & Acceptance Rate

Admission Deadline

Dec. 5

% on Financial Aid

25%

Acceptance Rate

20%

National avg.: 82%

Admissions Director

Diana Walcott

School Notes

Our mission is to build an environment of trust and instill a lifelong love of learning within our active farm community.
We spend a great deal of time outdoors and believe the farm, animals, trees, and fields are central to learning and to the development of the whole child.
Through hands-on exploration and play, we strive to strengthen your child`s self-image as confident and capable learners.
Our teachers create an environment of trust that encourages your child to take chances, develop peer connections, and pursue their natural curiosity with the excitement of teachable moments.

We believe preschool children learn best through hands-on exploration and play, which is at the core of our curriculum. Play develops precisely the qualities children need to lead happy, productive lives such as persistence, planning, problem solving, ability to communicate, and capacity to collaborate.
Play is a primary learning path at Apple Orchard School, and our unique farm environment provides unlimited opportunity for skills learned through play to be applied to classroom foundational learning. At this age, we believe that sitting and having a child count blocks doesn`t compare to jumping from stump to stump while counting, or noticing how many ducks are on a pond one day compared to the next. We want to capitalize on what engages children at this age so that they are excited and interested in learning!
We use the farm around us not simply because it is available, but also because there is a direct and positive correlation between contact with nature, imaginative play and learning. Both inside and out of the classroom, we do frequent art projects and participate in the exploration of building, estimating, measuring, and structural problem solving in keeping with the trend of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math).
One parent captured our curriculum focus well stating, "I am thrilled that we have been able to find a preschool for our daughter that elevates play and concrete activities over academic concerns. You don`t pretend to do things, but you really do them. I love it that the kids pick vegetables, collect eggs, and cook snacks together. I think it`s nothing short of fabulous that the children got to watch ducks raised from eggs and set free on the pond."

Source: Verified school update

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate of Apple Orchard School?

The acceptance rate of Apple Orchard School is 20%, which is lower than the national average of 71%. Apple Orchard School's acceptance rate is ranked among the top private schools in Massachusetts with low acceptance rates.

What is Apple Orchard School's ranking?

Apple Orchard School ranks among the top 20% of private schools in Massachusetts for: Lowest average acceptance rates.

When is the application deadline for Apple Orchard School?

The application deadline for Apple Orchard School is Dec. 5.

School Reviews

5 5/21/2016

All three of our children attended Apple Orchard School and absolutely loved it. It's farm environment offers an unrivaled opportunity for learning and play. For our children, it inspired a lifelong love of school and learning.

- Posted by Parent - david

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Did You Know?

The average private school tuition in Brookline, MA is $42,698 for elementary schools (read more about average private school tuition across the country).