“I don’t need 100 acres to run around,” Ollie Schweinshaut ’28 said. “I like how the school is just one building, how it’s small and how all the fields are right next to the school. And then if you want, you can just go to Harvard Square after school.”
According to data published online, the school—counting the Upper, Middle and Lower schools—sits on the fewest number of acres of any ISL day school. The Upper School (US), which consists of grades 9-12, occupies 10.6 acres. For comparison, Belmont Hill, a suburban 7-12 grade ISL day school, sits on 40 acres. Most other ISL day schools are similarly sized, if not larger than Belmont Hill. While the US’s urban location results in a smaller campus, it also brings unique advantages that add to the student experience.
One notable feature of the US’s location is its proximity to the Charles River. The boathouse–which is used for sculling and the Head of the Charles Regatta in the fall, and used for varsity, JV and Middle School crew in the spring–is just across the street from the US. Boys’ Varsity Crew Coach Adam Holland recognizes the privilege of having a boathouse across the street from the school.
“Virtually any other day school with a rowing program has a substantial commute to their body of water,” he said. “I myself had a 10-mile commute by bus each way when I rowed in high school … For BB&N students to be able to be at the boathouse less than five minutes after the school day ends is an unparalleled luxury and not to be taken for granted.”
The short commute to the Charles River also opens up academic opportunities for students. Early in ninth grade, as part of the biology curriculum, students collect water samples from the river, then test them for pollutants. According to Dean of Teaching and Learning and Biology Teacher Michael Chapman, this experience supports the science department’s overall goal for the biology curriculum.
“In the beginning of the year, we look at, ‘who is a scientist?’ and we end up with the conclusion that everyone can be a scientist,” he said. “So having that bit of fieldwork, being able to gather samples personally and get to test them, hits home the fact that everyone, even incoming ninth graders, can be scientists.”
In addition to being so close to the Charles River, Mr. Chapman also notes the value of the US’s location relative to the surrounding urban environment.
“For science, because we are in a geographic area where so much is happening, it’s easy to identify stories and examples that connect to students’ experiences or connect to the bustling environment we live in as a school in Cambridge,” he said.
Proximity to the surrounding community has given the science department the ability to create the Honors Science Research Program (HSRP), which was launched in fall 2025. The program allows students to gain experience in novel research by working once a week at academic laboratories in the Boston area.
Zaria Wellesley ’28, an HSRP student working at the Center for Sleep and Cognition, said the US’s location plays an important role in enabling HSRP.
“Being right in Cambridge has made it possible for us to have so many opportunities and amazing options for labs,” she said. “It makes it possible for us to drive there and not take as much time out of our day so we can put more time into getting good experiences.”
Being in Cambridge, the US is not just close to labs, but also to many students’ homes. According to a Vanguard survey from last spring, about 10% of students walk or bike to and from school. Eliot Saad ’28 bikes 10 minutes to school most mornings.
“It’s a nice way to start the day,” he said. “Just get your body moved a little bit, get to school and at least you can sit down in your first class and not have been sitting in the car for however long.”
It’s not just the US parking lot that fills up in the morning; some days, Eliot struggles to find a place to leave his bike.
“If you look at the bike racks, it’s packed,” he said. “When I come to school late because I have the first two blocks free on Wednesday, I don’t have a place to lock it. That thing is just absolutely full.”
Many students also walk or bike from the US to Harvard Square, which is less than a mile away. Oliver Song ’28 enjoys going with friends.
“If you have a free before or after lunch, and you want to go eat something that isn’t cafeteria food, and you didn’t pack something, you just go to Harvard Square and get food,” he said.
