LEARNING IN HARMONY WITH THE NATURAL WORLD
Birches School nurtures students’ innate curiosity and creativity in harmony with the natural world. Birches students embody empathy, inclusivity, integrity, teamwork, and a passion for learning.
School History
Birches is an independent, co-educational pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school in Lincoln, Massachusetts. We believe that learning should be a joyful, engaging partnership among students, teachers, peers, and families. To that end, we offer multi-age classrooms that are rich in integrated, thematic learning.
Birches School was founded in 2012, opening its doors that September to five students . Two full-time teachers, who were committed to integrating nature-based learning with an emphasis on student wellness, were hired, along with a part-time Spanish teacher, a part-time science specialist, and a part-time yoga and mindfulness specialist. In the fall of 2013, Birches welcomed fifteen students to school. In 2013- 2018, we continued to add one grade per year to keep pace with our oldest students. Now, ten years after opening, Birches is a robust, AISNE accredited, pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school.
An important milestone for the School occurred in January 2016, when the Birches Board of Directors and the Lincoln Land Trust Directors voted to approve a mission-driven collaboration between the School and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and the Rural Land Foundation (abbreviated as “Lincoln Land Trust”). An outgrowth of this collaboration was the establishment of Birches School in a building on 4 acres of a 16-acre property, with the Land Trust and the Town of Lincoln sharing the remaining 12 acres. The building has since been fully renovated and expanded and the grounds fully prepared for outdoor student learning.
Birches offers rigorous, interdisciplinary academics, emphasizing nature-based, project-driven thematic units. Students learn cooperatively in mixed-age classrooms: kindergarten and first grade; second and third grade; fourth and fifth grade; and middle school (sixth, seventh, and eighth grade). Pre-kindergarten is a stand-alone classroom. Outside the regular classrooms, students study Spanish, music, wellness, and the visual arts.
Thirteen distinguished individuals serve on the volunteer Birches Board of Trustees. The Board ensures that academic standards remain high and that the financial health of the School remains strong.
“Birches balances time in nature with time in the classroom in a way that feels seamless and intentional. Students spend equal time indoors and outside, which keeps them engaged, grounded, and connected to the world around them. The academic rigor is never sacrificed. Instead, it’s simply integrated into the day. One of the most profound gifts Birches has given our child is a deep sense of self-confidence. Our school tour during the open house was given by a 6th grader and I knew in that moment, if our kids have half as much confidence as this student does then this is the right place for them. By being trusted to direct their own learning, speak their mind, and work through real challenges, our children are learning that they are capable of solving problems, facing setbacks, and navigating the world with courage. That kind of confidence doesn’t just prepare them for the next grade, it prepares them for life.”