Rivers School

The Rivers School is an independent, coeducational preparatory school in Weston, Massachusetts.

The Rivers School
Location
333 Winter Street Weston , Massachusetts 02493 United States
Coordinates	42°19′23″N 71°19′34″W
Information
Former names	Country Day School for Boys of Boston Rivers Country Day School
Type	Independent, Day
Motto	Excellence with Humanity
Established	1915; 110 years ago (1915)
Founder	Robert W. Rivers
Head of school	Ryan S. Dahlem
Teaching staff	74.8 (FTE) (2015–16)[1]
Grades	6-12
Gender	Coeducational
Enrollment	534 (2024-25)
Average class size	11 students
Student to teacher ratio	6:1
Campus size	55 acres
Campus type	Suburban
Athletics conference	Independent School League
Mascot	Redwing
Teams	58 (Varsity, JV, Thirds, and Middle School)
Team name	Redwings
Publication	Riparian
Newspaper	The Rivers Edge
Endowment	$43.2 million (June 30, 2024)
Tuition	$63,290 (2024-25)
Website	www.rivers.org

History

Rivers School was founded in 1915 as an educational institution for boys in Brookline, Massachusetts. Robert W. Rivers founded the school and was its first headmaster. The Country Day School for Boys of Boston merged with Rivers in 1940, and the school moved to its present location in Weston in 1960. It became co-educational in 1989.^[2]

The Rivers School Conservatory

Logo of the Rivers School Conservatory

The Rivers School Conservatory was founded in 1975 by Ethel Bernard, one of the pioneers of the music school movement. She approached Rivers School with the idea of using the then-unoccupied former headmaster's house on the campus (now called Blackwell House after George H. Blackwell).^[3]

It was first called the Music School at Rivers, then Rivers School Conservatory. In 1978, the Annual Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young was established,^[4] with guests including John Cage (1983). All pieces performed are composed in the 25-years prior to each seminar. Recent examples include Matinee: The Fantom of the Fair by Libby Larsen.^[5][6]

The Conservatory currently has more than 750 students, including a student orchestra program, jazz and chamber ensembles, music theory and composition, a marimba program,^[7][8][9] choruses, master classes, workshops, and private lessons for instruments, piano, and voice.^[3]

Clubs and co-curriculars

• The robotics team Architects competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge, under the team number 4176.^[10]

Notable alumni

• Jack Lemmon ’39, actor
• John T. Noonan, Jr. '44, judge
• David Steinberg '46, professor of Asian Studies
• Frederick Wiseman '47, documentary filmmaker
• David Lamb '51, reporter
• Glen W. Bowersock ’53, historian
• Richard G. Darman ’60, director of the Office of Management and Budget (1989–1993)
• David Sutherland '63, documentary filmmaker
• Joseph I. Banner ’71, football team owner
• Philip Goldberg '74, The US Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research
• Josh Kraft '85, philanthropist
• Jon Anik '97, television host
• Stephen Belichick, football player
• Jillian Dempsey ’09, ice hockey player
• Charlie Rugg '09, soccer player
• Elliot Richardson, member of Nixon and Ford cabinets
• Tayra Meléndez '14, basketball player
• Jermaine Samuels ’17, basketball player