A school built around the brilliance of children.
A Boston independent school where curiosity leads, exploration drives learning, and education is rooted in justice and joy.
Now enrolling for Fall 2027: Kindergarten - 2nd grade
At the Douglass Ridley School, we learn through
Exploration
Our students leave us empowered to make sense of the world, and prepared with all of the skills necessary to make a difference within it.
Our Core Values
Our values shape how we learn, how we treat one another, and how we contribute to our community.
We lead with curiosity
We ask questions, explore new ideas, think critically, and embrace challenges. We are responsible for sharing our learning for the good of everyone.
We find joy in the process of learning
We believe that deep learning is built through play, imagination, joy, and self-expression.
We learn and grow together
We are proud of our identities, cultures, and stories. We listen, collaborate, and respect different perspectives and believe we are stronger together.
Why launch a school - and why now?
I spent more than 20 years working in education—as a classroom teacher, school leader, and academic director in urban public schools. I believed deeply in the power of education, but over time, I found myself asking bigger questions about what school could be.
What would it look like if we trusted children to be active participants in their own learning? If their questions and ideas weren't distractions from the curriculum, but the starting point? If creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and academic rigor weren't competing priorities, but part of the same experience?
Encountering the Reggio Emilia approach helped me imagine what was possible. I saw an opportunity to build a school where children are known deeply, their ideas are taken seriously, and learning grows from curiosity, relationships, and meaningful exploration.
So I decided to build it.
The Douglass Ridley School is the school I want to help make possible for more children and families: a place where every child can experience the joy of learning, develop the confidence to question the world around them, and discover their power to shape it.
Courtney Swartz, Founder and Head of School
Courtney spent 20 years in urban public education, as a classroom teacher in D.C., Chicago, and Boston, then as Assistant Principal at Brooke Charter School and Academic Director at UP Education Network. She founded The Douglass Ridley School to build the kind of education she spent two decades pushing for from the inside.
Our Tuition Model
We believe a child's access to an extraordinary education shouldn't depend on how much their family earns.
At Douglass Ridley School, tuition is based on household income and family size. This income-based model brings families with different financial circumstances together in the same school community, making an independent, progressive education more accessible.
Our Tuition Equity Fund helps make this model possible. Rather than offering a limited number of scholarships, we build affordability into the way tuition is structured for every family.
Come see what learning through exploration looks like.
The best way to understand Douglass Ridley School is to experience it. Come explore our classrooms, meet our educators, and imagine what's possible when children are given the time, space, and support to follow their curiosity.
We'd love to meet your family.