Every day at Tenacre begins with a handshake as the head of school greets arriving students. This act of trust and personal attention sets the tone for all that follows. At Tenacre, we embrace the elementary years. As a Pre-K through Grade 6 coed school, we offer a dynamic and exciting environment in which children progressively develop critical thinking skills, become confident and joyful learners, and move forward into higher education and life as caring citizens.
At the heart of our educational philosophy is the critical need to balance nurture and challenge. Nurture, particularly in the younger years, allows children to grow, feel safe, and develop an empowering sense of confidence--"I can do it." Challenge takes on a greater role as students welcome the opportunity to prove themselves in many difficult learning situations.
Every child at Tenace is a full participant, a valued contributor to our vibrant community. In classrooms, on our playing fields, in art, music, and drama, our students are actively engaged in their own education. It is our belief that when every child has multiple opportunities to succeed, every child can and will succeed.
Our proudest tradition is that of valuing every student. We are a small school where everyone knows each other, where academics, creativity, and good citizenship are high achievements to strive toward, and where children learn firsthand the rewards and responsibilities of being part of a community.
Our focus is on the total child. The goal is to respond to the academic, emotional, physical, social, and moral dimensions of each child with a unique philosophy that creatively combines traditional and innovative elements of elementary education.
We are delighted that you are interested in learning more about our school! Tenacre is a coeducational elementary school, enrolling 194 children in the metro-west suburbs outside of Boston. We are situated on a beautiful ten-acre campus in Wellesley, near Wellesley College and adjacent to the Dana Hall School. Tenacre provides an academically challenging environment for students, one that nurtures their intellectual curiosity, stimulates personal growth, and fosters critical thinking. We encourage the physical, moral, and social growth of our children, and strive to prepare them for life in the culturally, racially, and economically complex world that awaits them. As you begin to explore our website, I hope you will begin to see what makes Tenacre such a special place.
On this web site, you will find information about our curriculum, calendar, our faculty, and all the many exciting activities that take place every day at Tenacre. But the best way to learn about a school is to engage with us. In light of the recent health crisis, we are not able to welcome you into our school as much as we typically would. We are creating new ways of engaging with you and allowing you to access our faculty and administrators to learn more about our incredible program. A good partnership between home and school begins when you understand our approach to education, and we recognize your expectations for your child’s education.
Our whole Admission process is designed to help you get to know our school better and to decide if Tenacre is the right fit for your family. We pride ourselves on engaging families in a process that is welcoming, warm, and personal. Like all schools, we are challenged by COVID and inevitably, it has changed our process for the coming year. We will continue to work hard to connect you with our community as you explore our school for your family. We will begin the Admission process for application to Tenacre for the 2021-22 school year in early October. We will begin the Admission process in early October. You may reach out to set up an individual appointment (conducted via Zoom) by calling Elizabeth O'Connell at 781-591-7408 or emailing her at eoconnell@tenacrecds.org.
I look forward to welcoming your family to Tenacre!
Cordially, Meg Burke Director of Enrollment
All Admission and Financial Aid decisions are made without regard to race, religion, disability, family structure, national or ethnic origin.
Click on the link above to start an application* to Tenacre or to access an application you have already begun.
* Please note that our application deadline of February 8 has passed. Late applications will be accepted, but decisions are not guaranteed by the March 10 notification date.