The School

The Williston Northampton School, a co-educational day and boarding school for students in grades 7 – 12 and PG, has been preparing students for success in college and in life since 1841.  Located in the heart of the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, Williston brings the academic, artistic, and cultural resources of the area onto campus and into the classroom. Through our Williston+ Program, we leverage the area resources to provide a collaborative and enriched learning environment that gives student valuable college experience even before they enroll at a college or university.

Our Location

We know the world doesn’t end at the edge of our campus.  Williston’s Easthampton campus is just ten minutes from Northampton, Massachusetts, the renowned arts city that’s home to Smith College; twenty minutes away from UMass and Amherst, Hampshire, and Mount Holyoke Colleges; two hours away from Boston, the ski slopes of Vermont, or the ocean; three hours from New York City; and a minute from Easthampton’s Main Street.

Our great location led us to establish our Williston+ program, through which we use the resources of the area colleges to provide our students with an exceptional educational experience that also provides a very real understanding of what will be expected of you when you go on to college.

Writers, historians, college professors, and artists from the area share their talent and knowledge during assemblies, evening presentations, classroom visits, and studio workshops.

Every year, new and exciting visitors enrich the educational experience for all students.

Student Life

Looking for someone to go to the game with?  Need some help with an algebra problem? Feel like kicking back with a couple of friends to watch a movie?  Chances are, there’s someone in your dorm you can turn to.  Big or small, dorms are much more than places to sleep and do homework; often, they’re where your best friends live. Residential living offers the perfect setting for transforming everyday experiences into powerful life lesson that not only change the way you look at the world, but also change the way you look at yourself.

Dorm activities and socializing during free time might mean a barbeque, a bowling trip, snacks and a movie, baking with dorm parents, or taking part in some of the dorm competitions sponsored through the Activities Office.  Every dorm finds its own way to make it “home” and to have some fun!

Along with academic and athletic commitments, you can seek out leadership opportunities, try out for the plays, work on the school paper, rock climb on weekends, or take part in community service or dozens of other activities.  With dozens of clubs to choose from, there is bound to be something for everyone.

Athletics

We believe in the value of physical fitness and activity for developing a lifelong commitment to healthy living, personal discipline, fair play, good sportsmanship, and teamwork—qualities that lead to success on the field, in the classroom, and in life. With more than 30 interscholastic sports at the varsity level, junior varsity, and beginner levels, and a number of recreational offerings to choose from, you can participate in serious competition or develop new skills in a sport you’ve never played before.

Academic Program

We believe a good education is much more than the passing of knowledge from teacher to student.  It's an educational journey that takes the form of an interactive process shaped as much by faculty-student relationships as by the information imparted from one to the other.  We offer an academic environment that respects your ability to think for yourself and gives you the right balance of structure and freedom to make the most of it.

At Williston, you'll be pushed to question comfortable assumptions, encouraged to exceed self-imposed limits, and inspired to tap into multiple areas of your intellectual abilities.  You'll be immersed in a challenging curriculum that cultivates active, lifelong learning through rich discussion, open debate, well-informed research and mastery of both the written and spoken word.  We'll help you build solid leadership skills by giving you hands-on opportunities that will enable you to roll up your sleeves and work with others as you put your skills, ideas, and strategies into practice.

Williston offers a well-rounded, exciting educational experience that's ripe with possibilities for learning about yourself, your classmates, and the world around you.