Diversity at The Common School
At The Common School we respect the individuality of each child, create a cooperative community, and nurture a sense of wonder about the interconnectedness of life. Implicit within our philosophy is the concept of a multicultural school. Through our curriculum, we work to acknowledge and explore differences among us and in the world. We want children to learn to understand and value multiple perspectives, identify and reject stereotypes and prejudices, and work for equity and justice within the school.
Diversity and Social Justice at
The Common School
Diversity comes in many forms at The Common School. Race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, learning style, ability, religion, economic background, family make-up, perspective, and more. But diversity isn’t about words and numbers—it’s about people and how we treat them. It’s about helping students build a positive identity, and making sure everyone in our community feels welcome.
Here, we take social justice seriously. In fact, it is essential to our mission. We’re constantly examining our hiring practices and providing our teachers with a range of professional development opportunities. When making high-level decisions about the school, we’re making sure we take into consideration multiple voices and perspectives—carefully studying how our decisions will affect people who have been historically marginalized or excluded at The Common School. This is not a one-time effort, but ongoing work we deeply value.
To make sure Common School children learn to understand and value multiple perspectives, identify and reject stereotypes and prejudices, and become advocates for equity and justice, we’ve embedded social justice concepts into our curriculum—concepts like fairness, equity, compassion, and empathy. We’ve packed our shelves with books that reflect a variety of identities, and have included a wide range of voices and perspectives in our in-depth studies. In every classroom, in everything we do as a community, we’re taking action to acknowledge and explore differences among us and in the world, and how we are stronger together.
The Common School actively seeks a diverse range of students, families, faculty members, and staff who will contribute to the school community in a variety of ways. The Common School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its admission policies, educational programs, hiring practices, financial aid or other school-administered programs.
Facts & Figures
Students who are BIPOC children
Students from LGBTQ+ families
Financial aid in the operating budget
Families who receive financial aid