Welcome

Welcome!

I’m delighted that you are exploring Bancroft School, a laboratory of active learning in the heart of Central Massachusetts. Here, children from PreK through Grade 12 come to understand themselves not just as learners, but also as artists, musicians, actors, athletes, scientists, authors, mathematicians, makers, humanitarians, and leaders.

Bancroft students are all kinds of smart. Our superb teachers and coaches take great care to foster confident, collaborative thinkers, and problem-solvers. They balance high expectations with reassuring support, inspiring each child to work hard, try harder, and blossom into their full potential.

As a Bancroft student, your child will have many opportunities to wonder, imagine, reflect, persevere, and triumph. They will find a diverse group of friends, teammates, allies, and mentors who have their back, and they will fill those roles for others. They will serve the community. And they will discover the world on a local and global level.

Bancroft students emerge fully prepared to succeed in college and beyond. With the superior foundation of a Bancroft education, your child will become a healthy, self-assured, and compassionate lifelong learner, teacher of others, and citizen of the world. That is our mission.

Best,

Tim Saburn
Interim Head of School

Thank you for your interest in Bancroft!

Since 1900, Bancroft has proudly stood in the heart of Worcester as an independent, coeducational, college-preparatory day school. Here, we prepare talented, well-qualified, and motivated college-bound students, PreKindergarten through Grade 12, to pursue and realize their academic, personal, and social potential. Our families come from 63 different cities and towns around central Massachusetts representing many different backgrounds and experiences that help make Bancroft a unique and diverse learning environment.

We provide a comprehensive, caring, and creative curricular and extracurricular program that fosters an experience of excellence for each individual. Inspired students, a superior faculty, and engaged families thrive in our diverse, safe, and supportive community.

We afford students the opportunity to discover their passion in life and to learn to embrace confidently and responsibly the moral and ethical challenges of being lifelong learners, teachers of others, and citizens of an increasingly complex global community.

Please enter your contact information in our inquiry form and a member of our admissions staff will reach out with more information. We look forward to getting to know you!

Our commitment

Our Vision, Mission, & Values

The Importance of Diversity

We believe that, in order to fulfill our mission, a healthy diversity must define Bancroft School.

We believe in the dignity of the individual and the celebration of difference.

We believe that our community must aspire to the best democratic ideals.

We believe that a diverse and inclusive community is a better learning community.

We believe that our sense of justice and inclusion will continue to evolve.

We strive to create a diverse and inclusive community in which each individual is safe, known, and valued.

We strive to create a school culture that affords each member the opportunity to construct a personal identity in an environment that is open, inviting, and accessible.

We strive to forge a community devoid of all forms of prejudice and discrimination.

We strive to build a community of families, faculty, and staff that reflects the diversity of the greater Worcester region.

We strive for an inclusive community that gives voice to all members, encourages challenges to biases and assumptions, and promotes ongoing discussion of these important topics.

9 Ways We Own Our Learning

1. We use our voices

2. We Empower Teachers

3. We invite you along for the ride

4. We don't go it alone

5. We Keep Asking Questions

6. We take it outside

7. We Make it real world

8. We make it known

9. We reflect, revise, repeat

Bancroft at a glance

Bancroft Viewbook

Quick Facts

Who we are: The premier PreK-12 coeducational independent day school serving Central Massachusetts and MetroWest Boston

Location: 34-acre campus with 16 acres of athletic fields on the northeast side of Worcester, Massachusetts

How we began: Founded by parents in 1900

Enrollment: Approximately 400 students from 63 cities and towns, including 20 international students in the Upper School

Student/Teacher ratio: averages 5:1

Average class size: 13 students

Advanced Placement: 17 Courses and Independent Studies

Diversity: 31% students of color

College Matriculation: 100%

Graduates: Attend the most competitive colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad

Alumni: 4,000 affiliated worldwide

Faculty/Staff: 124, 67% of whom hold advanced degrees

Financial Aid: $3 million awarded annually

Endowment: $27 million

Libraries: 2, which include more than 50 online research databases and thousands of e-books

Sustainable Energy: 900 Solar Panels providing 17% of Bancroft's energy needs

Accreditation: NEASC-accredited and a member of AISNE and NAIS

Campus Map

School History

Founded in 1900 by a group of Worcester parents interested in providing a rigorous education for their children, Bancroft is the oldest coeducational Pre-K–12 independent day school in Central Massachusetts.

1900-1902

1900–1902

The founding families named the School in honor of George Bancroft (1800–1891), a Worcester native and accomplished scholar, Secretary of the Navy, Ambassador to Prussia and England, and renowned historian.

The original Bancroft School charter formed a corporation... “for the purpose of providing a complete school training for boys and girls of all ages, Kindergarten, Primary, Intermediate, and Academic Departments.”

The School opened in a large house at 93 Elm Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. By 1902, Bancroft had outgrown that facility, and a new school was constructed at 111 Elm Street.

1902-1922

Bancroft School on Sever Street

From the school's founding until 1913, Bancroft was coeducational at all grade levels. Beginning in 1913 the School continued to admit both boys and girls through Grade 8, but only girls in the Upper School.

In 1919 the School added Gray Gables, a boarding component, and continued to attract resident students until 1943. At that time, the Trustees decided to discontinue the residency program and focus on a mission as an independent day school.

1922-1958

In 1922, in order to accommodate an enrollment of over 250 students, Bancroft moved from Elm Street to larger quarters on Sever Street. During this time the School continued to expand its enrollment and also began to attract students who lived in surrounding towns. By 1955, the building on Sever Street no longer met the needs of the students and the administration announced the plans to build a state-of-the-art facility on 27 acres of land on Shore Drive.

1958-Present

The final move to the present site at 110 Shore Drive took place in September 1958. Since the move to Shore Drive, the School has continued to grow to its present enrollment of some 400 students. In 1967, the School admitted boys to Grade 9 for the first time in decades. By 1974, three boys joined the girls as graduates, and the School has remained co-ed since that time.

To ensure that the School is always ready to meet current and emerging program challenges, Bancroft has followed a continuous process of physical and technical modernization.

21st Century

Today, we have state-of-the-art classrooms and technology centers, campus-wide wi-fi, and a library of print and e-resources. In 2010 and 2011, the School took a major step toward our goal of environmental sustainability by installing a total of 896 high-efficiency solar panels, making Bancroft School the single largest solar electric system in the City of Worcester. Bancroft School will continue to provide the infrastructure and resources to ensure every student an experience of excellence.

Heads of School

Even more important than the buildings and facilities, however, are the people—the students, faculty, and parents—who have defined the Bancroft community since 1900. With more than 3,500 living alumni, Bancroft continues to live our mission of preparing young people to be lifelong learners, teachers of others, and citizens of the globe.

Heads of School 1900 to Present:

1900–1915: Frank H. Robson
1915–1926: Miriam Titcomb
1926–1938: Hope Fisher
1938–1943: Bradford M. Kingman
1943–1946: Edith J. Jones, Acting Head
1946–1959: Henry D. Tiffany
1959–1960: Elizabeth Vandermoer, Acting Head
1960–1981: Wyatt Garfield
1981–1992: Marigolden Tritschler
1992–1998: Theodore G. Sharp
1998–1999: Wyatt Garfield, Interim Head; Edgar A. Gauthier, Interim Head
1999–2014: Scott R. Reisinger
2014–2022: James P. "Trey" Cassidy III

Bancroft's Learning Lab Method

Using an active, student-centered teaching approach we call the Learning Laboratory Method (LLM), Bancroft helps students develop the skills, knowledge, and character to thrive in today’s ever-changing global community. Flexible learning spaces and schedules, community partnerships, local field trips, international travel opportunities — every aspect of the School — supports LLM and feeds into a robust environment in which students own their learning.

Components of LLM

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We Own Our Learning

Students engaged in a group activity at Bancroft School in Worcester, MA