The Williston Northampton School (Top Ranked Private School for 2025-26)

5.00 (1 review)

19 Payson Avenue
Easthampton, MA 01027

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Tel: (413) 529-3231

www.williston.com

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The Williston Northampton School Photo #1 - Williston has 10 dorms, five for girls and five for boys. Freshmen live in separate ninth grade dorms but all other dorms are mixed grades. Outside of the dorms, students can enjoy fires around our campus fire pits, play spikeball on one of our myriad setups, and enjoy the beauty of Western Massachusetts in an Adirondack chair.

The Williston Northampton School Photo #2 - The Williston Northampton School campus is centrally located in Easthampton, Massachusetts.

The Williston Northampton School Photo #3 - Ninth graders have their own social events and grade-focused presentations, and live in dorms together. This academic and social support provides a strong foundation for success at Williston. All incoming ninth graders start the year with an orientation trip to a low-ropes course.

The Williston Northampton School Photo #4 - Founded in 1841, Williston is a student-centered, coeducational institution with an Upper School of boarding and day students from over 20 states and 20 countries. Williston is a school shaped by its location in the Pioneer Valley, a remarkable area of education, culture, history, and nature in Western Massachusetts.

The Williston Northampton School Photo #5 - Williston fields 67 interscholastic teams at the varsity, junior varsity, and beginner levels in 35 sports to give students a full range of opportunities to play. Athletics is an integral part of our education and community. Williston has always taken pride in its ability to be both highly competitive and inclusive, and the Wildcats have an impressive record of success.

The Williston Northampton School Photo #6 - Williston's athletic facilities include two basketball courts, four squash courts, a fitness and weightlifting center, a six-lane pool with diving well, two synthetic turf fields, an eight-lane all-weather track, a 12-court tennis complex, two softball fields, two baseball fields, seven playing fields, a 3.1 mile cross country course, and ice rink.

The Williston Northampton School Photo #7 - Williston offers 30 courses in the humanities, sciences, and arts, including over 50 Advanced Placement and honors courses. The Williston Scholars Program includes a faculty-directed independent study project. These two-trimester classes are small and dive deeply into subject matter. Students work with Five College professors and utilize other resources and professionals in the Pioneer Valley.

The Williston Northampton School Photo #8 - Students use a hybrid tablet device as part of Williston's Curricular Technology Initiative (CTI). The CTI is designed to bring consistent technology to campus so that students can quickly and easily access the digital tools they need to succeed, and in the process, not just keep up with the latest innovations but use them in their education.

The Williston Northampton School Photo #9 - Williston promises an academic culture that respects your ability to think for yourself and gives you the right balance of structure and freedom to make the most of it. You'll be immersed in a challenging curriculum that cultivates active, lifelong learning. And with an average class size of 13 students, your teachers are truly going to know you.

The Williston Northampton School Photo #10 - Williston promises an academic culture that respects your ability to think for yourself and gives you the right balance of structure and freedom to make the most of it. You'll be immersed in a challenging curriculum that cultivates active, lifelong learning. And with an average class size of 13 students, your teachers are truly going to know you.

The Williston Northampton School Photo #11 - Williston's college search process is highly personalized. Beginning in the junior year, students work individually with counselors to foster independent thinking so that each student can effectively determine which colleges are uniquely suited to him or her. The Class of 2025 earned 579 offers of admission to colleges and universities, including Brown, Cornell, Georgetown, Harvard, Williams, and Yale.

Williston is an exceptionally well-balanced educational community in the Five College - Amherst, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Hampshire, & UMASS - area of Western Massachusetts.

Our academic program will provide you every opportunity to challenge yourself, develop new interests and encounter traditional subject matter taught in innovative ways.

The school integrates core college preparatory curriculum with exciting electives and a unique relationship with the Five Colleges while all classes emphasize mastery of language, clarity of thought and academic integrity.

Quick Facts (2025-26)

Top Ranked MA School
Grades: 7-12
Enrollment: 490 students
Yearly Tuition: $76,000
Average class size: 12 students
Application Deadline: Feb. 1 / rolling
Source: Verified school update

Top Rankings

The Williston Northampton School ranks among the top 20% of private schools in Massachusetts for:

School Overview

School Membership(s)School Assoc.

National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS)
New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Religious Affiliation

Nonsectarian

Grades Offered

Grades 7-12

Offers Post-Graduate Year

Yes

ADD/ADHD Support

Yes

Learning Difference Programs

Yes

Year Founded

1841

Colors

Blue, Green

School Calendar

View School Calendar

Student Body

Total Students

490 students

Student Body Type

Co-ed

% Students of Color

44%

State avg.: 31%

Students by Grade

The Williston Northampton School Student By Grade

Academics and Faculty

Total Classroom Teachers

98 teachers

Student-Teacher Ratio

5:1

National avg.: 13:1

% Faculty w/Advanced Degree

76%

Average Class Size

12 students

Number of AP Courses

24 courses

List of Courses Offered

Link to List of Courses

Advanced Courses

AP BiologyAP Calculus AB

AP ChemistryAP Comparative Government & Politics

AP Computer ScienceAP English Language

AP English LiteratureAP French Language

AP Latin:VergilAP Microeconomics

AP Physics BAP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

AP Physics C: MechanicsAP Psychology

AP Spanish LanguageAP Statistics

AP United States HistoryBC & Multivariable Calculus

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Matriculation DataMatric. Data

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Classroom Dress Code

Formal

Tuition and Acceptance Rate

Admission Deadline

Feb. 1 / rolling

Yearly Tuition Cost

$76,000

View national tuition avg.

Admissions Director

Chris Dietrich

Endowment Size

$67 million

Sports

Total Sports Offered

23 sports

Extracurriculars

Total ExtracurricularsTotal Extra-curric.

24 extracurriculars

ExtracurricularsExtra-curric.

Amnesty InternationalARETE (Senior Tutors)

Community ServiceDance

Film ClubFrench Club

Gay Straight AllianceGold Key (Student Tour Guides)

Green TeamHabitat for Humanity

Heifer Project InternationalInternational Club

Janus (Literary Magazine)Jazz Band

OrchestraPeer Educators

Political ForumSpanish Club

String EnsembleStudent Alumni Organization

Student CouncilThe Log (Yearbook)

Ultimate FrisbeeWillistonian (Student Newspaper)

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School Notes

School Mascot: Wildcat, Wildcats

Members of the Class of 2009 were accepted at 46 of Barron's 75 Most Competitive colleges & universities in the counntry.
Offers a unique program: The Writer's Workshop series. In its twelfth year, the fall 2009 series will feature Martin Espada ("The Republic of Poetry") and Sebastian Stuart ("The Hour Between"). Previous speakers include Pulitizer Prize winners Richard Russo and James Tate, writers Arthur Golden, Anita Shreve, Augusten Burroughs, Curtis Sittenfeld, Gregory Maguire, Jodi Picoult, and screenwriter Chic Eglee '70.
Ninth Grade Program designed to ease the transition from middle school to secondary school and to build camaraderie in the entering class.
New Ninth Grade boys dorm opened in September 2008 featuring geothermal wells for heating and cooling.
Completed successful $36 million dollar Campaign for Legacy & Vision in June 2008 raising funds for endowment, faculty support and financial aid.

Sample of notable school alumni/alumnae:
- Gabby Thomas '15 - Three-time Olympic gold medalist in sprinting events; five overall Olympic medals
- Ann Dowd '74 - Award-winning television, film, and stage actress
- William S. Clark - UMass/Amherst President
- Winthrop Crane - 40th Governor of Massachusetts, U.S. Senator
- Brad Hall ’75 - Actor, producer, writer. Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchor
- Patrick Rissmiller - Professional hockey player, NHL NY Rangers forward
- George Crockett Strong, Class of 1851 - U.S. Civil War General
- Robert Samuelson ’63 - Economic columnist and journalist, editor for Newsweek and the Washington Post, author
- George Stanley Hall - Psychologist, father of American Psychology
- Tony Lavelli ’45 - First overall NBA draft pick, accordionist for the Harlem Globetrotters

Source: Verified school update

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does The Williston Northampton School cost?

The Williston Northampton School's tuition is approximately $76,000 for private students.

What schools are The Williston Northampton School often compared to?

The Williston Northampton School is often viewed alongside schools like The Macduffie School by visitors of our site.

Who are famous alumni from The Williston Northampton School?

The Williston Northampton School famous alumni include: Gabby Thomas '15, Ann Dowd '74, William S. Clark, Winthrop Crane, Brad Hall ’75, Patrick Rissmiller, George Crockett Strong, Class of 1851, Robert Samuelson ’63, George Stanley Hall and Tony Lavelli ’45.

What sports does The Williston Northampton School offer?

The Williston Northampton School offers 23 interscholastic sports: Alpine Skiing, Baseball, Basketball, Climbing, Crew, Cross Country, Dance, Diving, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Squash, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, Water Polo and Weightlifting. The Williston Northampton School is ranked as one of the top 20% of private schools in Massachusetts for most sports offered.

What is The Williston Northampton School's ranking?

The Williston Northampton School ranks among the top 20% of private schools in Massachusetts for: Largest student body, Most AP courses offered, Most sports offered, Most extracurriculars offered and Oldest founding date.

When is the application deadline for The Williston Northampton School?

The application deadline for The Williston Northampton School is Feb. 1 / rolling (applications are due on Feb. 1 but additional applications are reviewed year-round as space permits ).

School Reviews

5 4/23/2013

There are many things to love about Williston. Just to start somewhere, this is a place where students are encouraged to be authentic and this usually means that they are not cut-throat like some of the students at the more well-known prep schools. It is a caring community at every level. Top students will be challenged, but students who come needing some extra help will get that too. The teachers are outstanding by any measure, and are more caring than any place we''ve seen. The location, though, is fantastic. Being a part of Easthampton and near Northampton add so much to climate. Finally, the athletic facilities are great!!!

- Posted by Parent - nwoma

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