Schools

Williams School Will Add Sixth Grade In 2014

New London private school concludes that extra grade will offer better connections to elementary schools.

By Dirk Langeveld 

The Williams School will add sixth grade classes in the 2014-2015 academic year, the school announced on Wednesday.

The Board of Trustees at the private New London school currently offers classes to grades seven through 12 and serves 240 students from 42 towns. The added grade is part of a five-year plan formally adopted by the board earlier in this month. The idea of adding a sixth grade was considered in 1990 and 2000, but rejected each time.

Students at the Williams School come from communities as far away as West Haven and Charlestown, R.I. Patrick Bassett, president of the National Association of Independent Schools, said in a statement that a sixth grade will allow the Williams School to connect to the communities more easily since many public elementary schools only go to fifth grade.

“Demographic data and our recent experience in the admission process also support the idea that sixth grade would be a more natural entry point at Williams,” said Head of School Mark Fader. "In fact, more than half of the communities that send students to Williams come from school systems where elementary school ends in the fifth grade, not the sixth grade.  The introduction of a sixth grade allows us to attract more of those students at an earlier stage in their education and development.”

“Williams is in a position to offer the superlative middle school experience in the region," said Jane Hannon, head of the middle school and co-chair of Williams' Sixth Grade Committee. "The addition of a sixth grade offers us the opportunity to further strengthen and differentiate our current program and experience of our students.”

The sixth grade program will include a language and culture program divided between Spanish and Latin. Other classes include art, citizenship, dance, debate, drama, and music. Sixth grade students will also be able to participate in co-curricular arts and athletics programs.

The school said the Williams School building, located on the south side of the Connecticut College campus, has enough space to accomodate the addition of another grade.


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