Residential Life
Day-to-day life at Buxton is focused on building relationships and community. One of the key ways our boarding students are empowered to do this is through our innovative residential program that invites students to live with four different roommates (at four different times and in four different rooms) throughout the school year. These changes forge new bonds, keeping social relationships fluid and inclusive.
Dorms
At Buxton School, we are constantly rethinking our dorm spaces and working to make them as welcoming as possible for all of our students. We have dorm spaces for different gender identities, as well as a gender inclusive space. Students are asked their preferences before each room change and are placed into the room that best fits their needs. Faculty members are on-site in the dorms and on-campus houses.
Connection
Meals
Our meals are a special time to connect with each other while enjoying delicious foods prepared by a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef and his staff using produce from our own gardens. Student waiters serve, bus and clean tables as part of the work program. On Saturdays, students take over the kitchen to plan menus and cook meals under the supervision of the staff. Each Sunday, we come together for a formal dinner.
Our philosophy is that every student deserves healthy, tasty and wholesome meals that are sourced responsibly. We make a point to respect the food choices and needs of the Buxton community. Our professional kitchen staff is expert at satisfying accommodating omnivores, vegans and everything in between.
Dress
Our students prefer to dress casually much of the time. Some occasions do require more formal attire, but students are made aware of the expectations well before the events.
The State of Massachusetts requires every school to have a comprehensive Anti-Bullying Plan.
Testimonials
-
"Buxton has given me the freedom to be the person I want to be, make the art I want to make, and learn the things I want to learn. At Buxton we learn not only in the classroom, but in the community. We learn how to be good to each other and how to support each other. Buxton has so much to offer students, both inside the classroom and outside of it."Great Barrington, MA
-
“At Buxton you get to focus on what you want to be learning; whether it is social skills or in-depth studying- you learn to take responsibility of your education.”Troy, NY
-
“Living your education means to not only learn things, but to use what you learn in your everyday life.”Mexico
-
“To me, living your education means to be independent, to take charge, to not be afraid of asking for help, to learn from your peers, to love to learn, to take what you have learned from a loving environment and take it into the world.”New Hampshire
-
“Your education is more than just your time in class, it’s your life as a whole. Learning is not limited to a teacher teaching you something in a classroom.”Missouri
-
“To me, at Buxton, it’s not boundaries that you make, but the ones you break through.”New York, NY
-
“At Buxton, I can choose what I want to do with my education. I can design my own path and invest my time studying topics that I’m really interested in.”New York, NY
-
“At Buxton you can experience your intellectual development in a community that accepts your perspective of the world.”Mexico
-
“I felt instantly at home when I stepped on the campus. At Buxton, we are in school 24/7. We learn things in the classroom, but we really learn valuable things outside of the classroom. We learn how to work with others and respect each other’s spaces. Our education surrounds us and we learn new things everyday.”Albany, NY
-
“I chose Buxton over public school because I think I function better in a smaller environment. You’re able to get to know students and faculty on a deeper level, which is rare.”Williamstown, MA
