We have had an absolutely amazing experience at the Fenn so far. Our son, who just joined the 5th grade, is about three months in so far and is having the time of his life. Coming from a public school, the environment couldn't be more different; he is constantly challenged, both in terms of the freedom given to him to organize his own day and show up to places on time and also academically, where (for someone who always excelled in his public schools) he is being challenged for the first time. Our entire experience - from the first contact with the admissions team to our last event at the school - has been more than we could have hoped, and we're so excited about the future at Fenn! read more

Fenn has been an absolutely terrific experience to date. The communication and caliber of the teachers is fantastic. We have been impressed by the coordination and dedication of the faculty and current headmaster. I would highly reco read more

Fenn is great! I went to end for 5 years and left sad that I wouldn't get to talk to my teachers after. I had a lot of great teachers and coaches along the way! It's a great school! read more

This school is honestly a wreck. It survives a one star rating due to the fact that I did receive an adequate education, albeit one that could have been received at the local public school. Half of the teachers seem to hate their jobs. This is not an exaggeration, I had teachers who had not changed a lesson plan in decades and seemed to just go through the motions daily. They would seem very disinterested when teaching which was very disheartening to me as a student. The education is marketed as very individualized, yet no teacher would really take time to help me work on my weaknesses or advance my strengths. I came out of Fenn with a below average writing skills. I had not been taught how to write a formal paragraph or five paragraph essay until eighth grade. They did not choose who went into the honors math program by skill, it was done by whoever did well on an exam (not even the rest of the year) and whose parents asked for their kid to be in the program. They have a lot of tolerance for meanness and bullying. They have the "boys will be boys" mentality which provides an excuse for their lack of wanting to take any action. When someone I know was being bullied, like being chased, slammed against lockers, and verbal abuse bad, and finally reported it to the administration, the head of their division did nothing, and once they reported it to the head of the school, the bully just had to apologize once. The school shames those who do not fit their prototype of being athletic, averaging A-'s or up, and being highly social, not awarding them the same opportunities as others. When considering leaving Fenn in eighth grade, be aware that if you decline their begs for staying for ninth grade, they will recommend you apply to schools that above the level that is attainable based on grades and SSAT scores so you do not get in and you have to stay another year. I am now at a competitive private high school, but I had to work incredibly hard freshman year to be able to compensate for the lack of some basic skills, like note taking and time management, as well as critical thinking and essay writing skills that I had never learned at Fenn. I really recommend looking at other schools or going to your local public school, as Fenn is not a great school when you really look at it. (Alias used for anonymity) read more

The youngest of my 3 sons is about to start Fenn and could not be more excited. He has seen firsthand what a positive experience his brothers have had and it is tough for me to relate to the previous reviews because this has not been our experience at all. As for the fact that it leaves them unprepared for a coed world, I could not disagree more. My oldest is at a coed high school and no problem transitioning. Fenn allows boys to thrive with wonderful teachers in an extremely respectful and supportive environment. read more

True to its tagline, Fenn is a school where my son, now a 7th grader, has thrived since he started as a 4th grader. Fenn has the critical mass of students to offer academic, athletic, and arts experiences that are exceptional for an elementary and middle school. I've been particularly impressed by two aspects of the school: (1) the balance it strikes between appropriately increasing expectations each year and the ongoing warmth and support from teachers who know the boys well 2) Headmaster Jerry Ward's exceptionally capable leadership. Our commute from Medford is both worthwhile and manageable. read more

Fenn is an EXCEPTIONAL school for boys! Academic rigor, high caliber teachers, small class sizes, beautiful campus, coupled with integrity and values. The teachers understand what teaching methods work for boys and how to tap into their natural curiosity. Hands-on learning approach is the key. With Fenn's small class sizes, my son received a lot of one-on-one attention, which has helped him to excel academically. His self-confidence has blossomed since he's been at Fenn and he feels so good about himself. Fenn has turned my son into a kid who loves to learn and didn't want school to end for the summer (never thought I'd see that!). My son just loves being at Fenn. I love him being there too, not only because of the high quality education, but because he's surrounded by headmasters and teachers who model integrity, compassion and ethical values. They've taught my son how to be a responsible member of the Fenn community and how to genuinely care about his classmates. I never thought I would say that my son "loves" school, but he does, thanks to Fenn. read more

As an alumni of Fenn School, I would like to take this opportunity to suggest to parents that it is not in their child's best interest to be separated from their peers in public school, and put into a single gender situation. From my experience, most students at Fenn did not wish to be there, and were being forced into it by their parents. This was certainly true of me. In forcing your child into an unwanted situation, you are (in essence) disenfranchising them from their own life experience. This is virtually guaranteed to cause problems down the road. Furthermore, you are retarding their social development by forcing them into a singe gender environment. Their peers at coed institutions will learn relate to each other naturally while students at Fenn will not. The idea that private schools offer a superior education is a fallacy. Research into this topic has shown that once the socio-economic circumstances in which the family of a student is raised are taken into account, there is no difference in the academic achievement of public school students versus private school students. Most (if not all) of the students at Fenn come from wealthy families who live in communities with good school systems. You are not doing your child any favors by forcing them to go to Fenn, and disenfranchising them from their own experience. Private schools..especially those is the wealthy suburbs, are (to a significant degree) about narcissism. That is their Raison d'être...They are based on the idea that they are better than everyone else. They are wrong. Please pay attention to you child's wishes. They are not too young to know what's good for them. If you force them into an unwanted situation, it will have long term negative consequences, and your child may never forgive you. Please remember that your child's life belongs to them, and not to you. read more

I found Fenn School to be a miserable experience....Although in all fairness, middle school is a difficult stage no matter where you go. However, putting boys in a single gender environment at such a critical stage in their social development really does set them back. Private schools in wealthy communities with good school systems really are about narcissism. Research has shown that once the socio-economic condition of the family in which a student is reared is taken into account, there is no difference in the academic achievement of public versus private school students. Moreover, narcissism seems to be virtually built into the curriculum at Fenn. They are constantly telling their kids that they are (in one way or another) better than public school kids. This is not a way to build a healthy or realistic self image. Be that as it may, if a child WANTS to attend private school, that is all well and good. The problem occurs if and when they are forced into it against their will. read more