Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart

Founded in 1880, Newton Country Day School is an independent, college preparatory school for girls, grades 5 to 12. Founded in 1880, it is rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition, though it accepts students of all faiths. The school is a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, which spans forty-four countries and twenty-one cities in The United States.

Newton Country Day, one of the state's oldest prep school for girls, was originally named the Boston Academy of the Sacred Heart. It was first located on Chester Square in Boston's South End, and then in four elegant brownstones on Commonwealth Avenue in Back Bay. In 1925, bursting at the seams, the school moved to a 20-acre Newton estate previously owned by Loren D. Towle, Boston's leading real estate developer and one of its largest landlords. Towle had died suddenly in 1924, before his 35-room Gothic mansion and it grounds, designed by the Oldstead brothers, were completed.

Soon a chapel and four-story school wing were added to the property, followed over the years by a gymnasium/auditorium and other facilities. Most recently, in 2002, a building housing a theatre, science labs, and an enlarged middle school was completed.

Among the school's most famous graduates is Rose Kennedy, the mother of President John F. Kennedy, and US Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy.

Be the first to add information to this page. Register to be a Newton Wiki editor