Buckingham Browne & Nichols School

I know people are saying that BB&N is a bad school. But really it's not, sometimes there is competition but it's always because of pushy parents. I'm a 5th grader at BB&N and I've been here since beginners (pre K). The teachers are nice and willing to help. They care about all of us and make sure we grow up to be good people. The academics are GREAT! We are currently learning 6 and 7th grade math. We have read Chronicles of Narnia in reading class and are currently reading Tuck Everlasting. On Wednesdays we have Literature Circles in which a group of four or five kids read the same book and are assigned jobs like but not limited to Discussion Director, Literary Luminary, Artful Artist, and Word Wizard. In math we are learning how to add, subtract, and multiply fractions. Most kids are friendly and if someone is not the teachers handle situations like this well. Here is a list of all our classes and subjects, math,art,reading,science,music,physical ed,social studies,and language arts. I hope my review was of service to you and I hope this maybe made you change your mind about our school.

This is not actually a review of the school but a comment about the application process. We decided not to have our 8th grader apply because of a complete lack of responsiveness from the admissions office. No one ever actually answers the phone in this office, and three messages were unanswered. I am not sure if this is due to administrative ineptitude or arrogance about "not needing" any more applicants than what they already get. It turned us off completely.
--Submitted by a parent

Right- she completely ignored us whenever we were there too. I really think that not all applications are reviewed either.
--Submitted by a parent

Sophisticated broad-based curriculum, dedicated teachers and helpful responsive staff. Can't go wrong here. The future is at BB&N!
--Submitted by a parent

I have been going to the middle school for about 4 months now. The academics are great--challenging and much more rigorous than the very good public school I came from. 4 out of my 6 teachers are fantastic, 2 are about as good as my so-so public school teachers. There are certainly separate groups at BB&N, and of course there is a "popular" group, but for the most part the students are very open and welcoming, and talk to people who are outside of their clique. The weightiest issue is wondering whether the school pushes kids too hard. At the moment, I am enjoying this push, but the High School is supposed to be an extremely rigorous environment and more cliquey, and it will be hard to judge whether I want to be pressure-cooked.

I am about to graduate from BB&N and I can honestly say that the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life is going to this school. It's a miserable place where at least half of the students are unhappy to be there. The stress and competition at BB&N is unhealthy and instead of teaching kids to learn it teaches kids to compete with one another to get the best grades (any way possible). Cheating, plagiarism and other unfair tactics aren't punished so that kids get through high school unfairly. Teachers at BB&N are hit or miss, some are great and really care about you as a person and then there are a lot of teachers that don't seem to like kids. I got stuck with the same math teacher for 3 of my 4 years and he was awful. Avoid BB&N at all costs! Learn from me!

I feel that the head of BBN isn't doing a good job creating a real community among the students. The school has a reputation as a pressure cooker with pushy, unlikable parents. This school should be on top of most others, but needs a change in leadership to do so.

Being at BB&N has been the best experience of my life so far. I have gone through all three schools and have seen first hand the magic that this institution can work on its students. In response to an earlier comment, the social scene is NOT the worst stereotype of prep school. In fact, out of the ISL schools BB&N is one of the least preppy. Sure, there are cliques and prepsters but if you don't fall into that category there are plenty of other people, most kids couldn't even put a label on themselves because they are involved in so many different things and can identify with so many different people. I spent twelve years at BB&N and my personality evolved as I grew up. I was never without friends, challenges or guidance from teachers and I only came across maybe three mean people. I cannot recommend this school enough!
--Submitted by a student

To get a feel for the school, visit. Good experiences happen alongside terrible experiences at BB&N. Let me start off with what I've found to work at BB&N, as a student myself. It's an institution to be reckoned with. Incredible, accesible teaching is one of BB&N's strong points. Every aspect, academically + extracurricularly, is strong: performing arts, visual arts, sports. With that being said, athletics garners more attention than arts from the student body. Nevertheless, BB&N remains a powerhouse. BB&N will give you an incredible academic education, but the experience socially is up to you. Immerse yourself in clubs, teams, arts. This is not a boarding school where people bond instantly. Be outgoing. BB&N can be competitive and unfriendly if you do not put yourself out there. Find a balance between academic and social. The people who manage to figure it out shine.
--Submitted by a student

Great school. Kids find there interests and develop them into something larger
--Submitted by a student