At Town, we define belonging as embracing and celebrating each individual’s unique stories and experiences. We recognize that diversity does not describe any single individual or group’s identity, but rather reflects the differences that strengthen our collective community. We strive to ensure that every member of our school feels included, respected, safe, and seen. Belonging is essential to a healthy school community, and our longstanding commitment to this work helps students learn about the broader world, celebrate the identities within our school, and build a strong foundation of intercultural competency as they grow into thoughtful global citizens.
An Intentional Approach, Integrated Across the School
Our Character Development Program emphasizes intercultural understanding, perspective getting*, and empathy as essential components of raising boys of character and impact. Intercultural competencies, including racial literacy, help foster a community of belonging and prepare students to serve as leaders for good. Respect for difference and the development of teamwork skills are woven throughout the curriculum, with students learning in developmentally appropriate ways to understand and value a range of perspectives.
Town’s librarians regularly review the library collection to ensure diverse representation and intentionality in the resources available to students.
As a boys’ school, we also engage students in thoughtful conversations about masculinity, encouraging them to explore all aspects of themselves as they define what boyhood means to them. There are as many ways to be a boy as there are students at Town, and each student contributes to the richness and diversity of our community.
*Term coined by Nicholas Epley
Our Global Town
Through project-based learning and experiences woven throughout the curriculum, Town boys explore their own identities within a broader context and develop an understanding of belonging, inclusion, and the responsibility to act as allies and engaged global citizens.
Town participates in an educator exchange with Teach With Africa, welcoming a visiting educator each spring for a two-and-a-half-week residency that enriches learning and strengthens global connections within our community. In recent years, members of the Town faculty have also traveled to Peru, Costa Rica, Belize, South Africa, and Tanzania to engage in professional learning experiences that further inform and strengthen this work.
Our Community of Belonging
Town is committed to making its program accessible to a wide range of families through a Financial Assistance Program designed to be as inclusive as possible and to provide equitable access to the Town experience. The school also works closely with families who do not qualify for Financial Assistance to identify payment plans that best meet their needs.
Town partners with organizations including People of Color in Independent Schools (POCIS), Schools, Mentoring, and Resource Team, Inc. (SMART), and Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (SEED). Engagement in diversity, belonging, and inclusion takes place across all areas of school life — including among students, faculty, parents and guardians, and the Board of Trustees — and is guided by the Head of School, Director of Community Building and Inclusion, and Director of Teacher Development and Strategic Initiatives.
As part of our commitment to community education, parents and guardians are invited to participate in monthly Community Building & Inclusion meetings focused on topics related to belonging. Faculty and staff engage in this work through ongoing professional development, conferences, meetings, discussions, and shared readings that support continued learning and growth.
Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Diversity, equity and inclusion are intrinsic to and aligned with the values of Town School. The best education for our students requires a diverse experience because a broad spectrum of ideas is essential for understanding different perspectives, challenging assumptions, and inspiring curiosity, to support critical and complex thinking.
We are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment where each boy is free to be himself, and where boys are confident and secure in their own identities.
We equip each boy with the tools to explore differences in experiences, background, beliefs, and ideas. We seek to provide each student with the support and resources he needs to succeed and thrive at Town School. A diverse and vibrant community is essential. To build and sustain such a community, we reach out to enroll students and families from a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds, cultures, races, religions, and sexual orientations, and we recruit and retain faculty, staff and administrators from the same broad range of backgrounds.
We cultivate an environment where every member of the Town community senses he or she matters as a significant part of the life of the school. Only when each person feels valued and is engaged may the school and the individual achieve their full potential.