Welcome – From the Head of School

I’m so pleased that you’re considering Atrium for your family. Children should love to come to school, and at Atrium, they do!

A nurturing, academically vigorous, and thrilling place, Atrium educates and empowers children to be engaged, creative, and thoughtful about contributing to a kinder world – today and into their futures. Atrium students value themselves and others as individuals and as members of a community that is both richly diverse and close-knit. Our compelling teachers stretch each child's capacities and confidence, and Atrium students challenge themselves to aim high and go deep. We understand every student here and ensure that each feels secure and joyful, rooted among compassionate peers and teachers. Ours is a purposefully built environment of honesty, exuberance, and kindness that yields a culture of profound collaboration.

I have proudly served as Atrium’s head of school since 2017, and have seen students’ entire childhoods indelibly and wonderfully shaped by this special place. Our program is deeply intentional but not prescriptive: students thrive here pursuing their own ideas and passions. There is a palpable vibrancy to children’s lives; second graders shine as they embody historical justice leaders, while middle schoolers vigorously debate different ways to approach a math problem or scientific concept. Libraries throughout the school draw children of all ages further into great books and different worlds. In the art studio, children create vivid works inspired by the artists and cultures they study. A walk through the halls of our modern, environmentally sustainable building reveals the purpose and richness of our curriculum, and inspires delight. Outside in our extraordinary new naturescape, autonomy, friendship, and social skills grow through inventive play amidst giant boulders and shade trees. Here, imaginations take flight all the time.

With a central location for families across Greater Boston, learning at Atrium naturally extends to the nearby Charles River, Cambridge and Boston's many cultural institutions, and the landscapes and cityscapes of New England. Service relationships with neighborhood non-profits enrich our students' keen sense of social justice and community responsibility. There’s so, so much more here to tell you about. I encourage you to visit and experience Atrium’s “Excellence with Joy.”

Warmly,

Marshall W. Carter
Head of School