Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall Private School

• Location: Waltham, Massachusetts, USA,
• Age of students: from 11 to 16 years old,
• Type of education: mixed,
• Language of instruction: English.

Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School, founded in 1828, has been offering unique learning opportunities to international students from all over the world for 190 years, guiding them on the path to quality higher education. The collaboration with Harvard University on the Making Caring Common experiment allows the school to be in demand as an educational institution that creates a supportive and caring environment for students.

Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School actively involves diverse communities of students in the educational process, preparing them for a successful learning process and lifelong integration into the outside world. Learning stimulates students by challenging them to exercise their diverse intellectual abilities, inspired by the theory of Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University. Dr. Gardner believes that schools should develop and support 9 "intellectual abilities," and educators have developed lessons that cover a wide range of topics, giving students the opportunity to develop all the necessary skills and understanding at every stage of learning.

Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall offers a variety of skill and material learning paths, providing the opportunity for all students to engage deeply with information. Differentiated learning means that each student is able to achieve high results, each enters the lesson with a unique set of strengths and weaknesses. In order to ensure the acquisition of the necessary skills and mutual understanding, teachers carefully study their students and offer various approaches and strategies to use the individual advantages of each student in the class.

Professional faculty, more than 70% of whom hold academic degrees, devote thousands of hours each year to professional development in order to expand their knowledge of the subject area and develop effective pedagogical methodologies that contribute to academic success and prepare students for college.

In Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall, the educational process is organized on the basis of several departments and faculties:

• English;
• Mathematics;
• History;
• Science;
• Languages of the world;
• Skills and Academic Strategies (SAS);
• Fine and Performing Arts;
• In-depth study of the English language.

The school participates in the Massachusetts Bay Independent League (MBIL) in boys' football, cross-country, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse, and is a member of the Independent Girls' Conference (IGC) in football, basketball, softball, and lacrosse, and the Eastern Independent League (EIL) in boys' wrestling.

Boarding at Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School is an immersive experience during which students develop their independence, leadership skills, explore all that Boston has to offer, and make long-term friendships. Students from all over the world live here: equal students build friendships, work together on projects, spend time together over brunch at the Charger Café and attend various events on weekends.

The boarding program is a real second home, where friends are always nearby. After the end of the school day, foreign students rush to their rooms, leave their backpacks and relax with friends, watch movies on Netflix in the common room, go to the Dunkin Donuts restaurant or just gather outside with conversations. After that, it's time for dinner at the Charger Café and a meeting, then time is given to complete the task for the next day. Before bedtime, students can enjoy socializing and sharing videos on YouTube.

Each of the boarding houses has educators (they are even called parents here): they help students during the day, take care of the well-being of boarders, create a warm family atmosphere around them, and organize weekend trips.

Student life at Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School is a unique time full of exploration, development and fun. The school provides international students with a huge number of opportunities to realize their interests and talents. It hosts a wide variety of events that cover all aspects of student life. From traditional parties and festivals to cultural events and competitions, each event allows students to express themselves, enjoy time with friends, and create unique memories.

But it's not just events that make student life rich and interesting! Field trips are another important part of education, allowing students to learn about the world around them and immerse themselves in culture and history. Students visit museums, galleries, historical sites, and more, which helps them expand their horizons and enriches their education.

The school offers a variety of student clubs that allow students to connect with like-minded people and immerse themselves in what they are truly interested in – from academic and artistic to sports and public communities.

In addition, students are required to participate in a co-educational program in the afternoon each trimester; Two events per year should be interscholastic sports or team events. 

List of the available sport is represented by:

• Basketball;
• Cross-country running;
• Baseball for boys;
• Tennis;
• Lacrosse;
• Football;
• Softball for girls;
• Frisbee;
• Women's volleyball;
• Struggle.

Other CH-CH activities include:

• Drama;
• Theatrical technique;
• Podcast;
• Fitness;
• Rock climbing;
• Makerspace Studio;
• Sports media reporter;
• Potpourri (Middle School Only).

Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School offers great opportunities to its students. The school is located on a quiet and picturesque campus of 42 acres, making it one of the closest to Boston in New England. Everything Boston has to offer is just minutes away: historic sites, colleges and universities, world-class restaurants, museums, and cultural events. Students at the school have access to all the entertainment and educational opportunities that Boston offers.

On campus there are:

• Harrington Hall – The building was named after Louisa K. Harrington in 2011, today it includes the dining room and Clemence Room downstairs, a boarding house for freshmen and sophomores.
• The Cottage is the building where almost all freshman classes are held.
• The Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall (CH-CH) Commons is a building that served Waltham's community for over 150 years. In 2012, it was renovated and opened as CH-CH Commons: it hosts classes in performing arts, foreign languages and school assemblies and it includes a school library and a creative space.
• CH-CH MakerSpace is a place where students can experiment, create, and explore alternative learning methods using new technologies – 3D modeling and printing, as well as traditional methods such as sewing and woodworking. Foreign students can study different topics: coding, robotics, and prototyping, focusing on process and experimentation.
• Wilkins Hall was built in 1864 and to this day serves as the main academic building for high school students in history, English, science, and mathematics.
• Worcester Hall was originally a boarding house for girls, but now serves as a boarding house for boys and includes a gym.
• South Hall, a gift from the Astor family, was opened in 1903 and now serves as a boarding house for high school girls.
• Peebles Hall is the seat of the admissions committee.
• The Beaver Gymnasium & Machen Center was built in 1981 in memory of Claude F. Meychen, and today the building houses a gym, a gymnasium, and a nurse's office.
• Barn & Theater provides art venues including theater, a digital art lab, a MakerSpace studio, a dark photography room, a pottery workshop, and a dance and yoga studio. In 2019, the building was expanded to include a new theater, music classroom, studio space, and a glass atrium gallery, creating a 22,000-square-foot arts center.

Students at Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School follow a schedule of 75-minute courses held three times a week. During a typical week, students have four classes per day on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and three classes on Wednesday and Friday.

The school year is divided into trimesters ending in November, March and May/June. Students' grade point average (GPA) is recalculated at the end of each term. Graduation ceremonies are held in the last week of May or the first week of June.

Some services are not included in tuition fee and they are paid additionally, such as:

• Entry fee;
• Registration fee;
• Visa (F-1);
• Flight tickets and transfer;
• Accommodation;
• Health insurance;
• Life insurance;
• Nutrition;
• Payment for medical care;
• Study materials;
• School and sports uniforms;
• Accelerated Learning Program (optional);
• Activities and excursions;
• Personal expenses.

Before enrolling in Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall, international students are encouraged to arrange a tour of the school – either in-person or online. After familiarizing themselves with the school's campus, the candidate must take the following steps:

1. Fill out an online application and pay the registration fee;
2. Attach the following package of documents:

• Identity document (copy of the passport);
• Report card for the last 3 years (with notarized translation);
• Letters of recommendation from the current school;
• A certificate confirming the level of English proficiency.

3. After reviewing the candidate's application, an interview will be scheduled.
4. Based on the results of the interview, the candidate who will be accepted to the school will receive an official invitation and all the necessary documents for obtaining a visa (F-1).

Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall has 175 students, of which 45% are boarders and 55% are full-time students. 25% of the total number of students are international students.

At Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall, educational process is organized in small classrooms, where the number of students rarely exceeds 10 people. Conditions are created so that teachers can skillfully use the talents and abilities of their students, opening up many opportunities for them to succeed. Graduate paths often lead to top universities, including Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, and New York universities.

Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School is open for international students entering grades 9-12.

Language requirements: the school accepts all licensed English language tests (TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, etc.)

Required documents:

• Completed online application;
• Report card for the last 3 years (with notarized translation);
• Letters of recommendation from the current educational institution;
• Questionnaire;
• Student essays.

In addition, international students will be required to attend a personal interview .

As part of the need-based financial aid, all applicants are automatically considered for a scholarship. There is no need to submit a separate application, as all prospective students automatically participate in the selection process.

• Students who demonstrate strength of character, leadership abilities, a desire to learn, and a desire to realize their individual potential are awarded Charger Scholarships – this is the corresponding grant amount for each year of study at CH-CH. Fellows are expected to make positive contributions and set an example for their peers in all areas of school life: academics, student activities, and social activities.
• Students who demonstrate excellent academic prospects are awarded Dean's Scholarships.
• Head's Scholarships are awarded to prospective students who make a significant investment in arts and athletic programs.
• Boarding students, whether local or international, who show potential for a positive impact on the residency program may qualify for the Trustee Scholarships.
• The Waltham Scholarship Program, which started in 2016, provides a total of 8 scholarships per academic year to students who reside in Waltham (at least 2 years). These students are expected to be a positive impact in their community and demonstrate outstanding leadership skills and a commitment to community service, especially within organizations in the city.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision