Buckingham Browne & Nichols School vs. Shady Hill School

Established in 1974 in Cambridge, MA, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (BB&N) is an independent day school serving grades Pre-K-12.

School Mission BB&N is an academically excellent, diverse, and inclusive community where students develop into lifelong learners who lead with kindness, curiosity, and integrity.

We prepare students to be responsible and open-minded as they engage with the world around them.

Our Values Inquiry - We promote curiosity and critical thinking to inspire a lifelong love of learning.

Integrity - We strive to be honest, conscientious, and accountable in our actions even when no one is watching.

Belonging - We foster a culture of respect, well-being, and connection that values all individuals and empowers them to discover and be their authentic selves.

Kindness - We strengthen our communities by recognizing our common humanity and treating ourselves and others with respect and compassion.

Shady Hill is an all gender Pre-K through 8th Grade day school on 11 acres in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Our unique village-style campus is a collection of child-scaled buildings set around courtyards and greens with a web of connecting pathways, play spaces, athletic fields, and wildlife areas.

Founded in 1915 on the back porch of Harvard Professor Ernest Hocking and his wife, Agnes Hocking, the goal was for children to experience an education enriched by the same kind of open-mindedness, inquiry, intellectual rigor, and passion for learning that they valued in their own experiences.

The curriculum is built around Central Subject-a year-long, in-depth study of a people, period of history, an idea or movement-and stresses the interrelationships of many disciplines and the use of original sources.

Through exploration and discovery, rigorous and engaging activities, the mastery of skills, purposeful dialogue and meticulous guidance, our students develop into independent, critical thinkers and life-long learners.

Our beliefs in a diverse and inclusive community, cooperation and collaboration, self reflection, and individual responsibility help students grow into confident, ethical citizens of the school and the world beyond.