School hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 3:00 pm for all grades.

Rashi offers early morning drop-off at 7:30 a.m and an enriching Afterschool program Monday-Thursday from 3:00-6:00 pm. Afterschool provides a supportive environment with a variety of electives, organized activities and independent time for supervised homework and quiet activities. Many electives are offered, such as piano, drama, karate, dance and chess. For information about the Afterschool program click here.

Rashi draws from more than two dozen communities. Boston, Brookline, Newton, Needham, Natick, Wellesley and Weston together make up about 85% of the school population.

We are pleased to offer six bus routes serving Newton, Western suburbs (Cochituate/Wayland, Natick, Wellesley and Needham), Brookline/West Roxbury, Cambridge/Arlington and Back Bay. We also have an extensive carpool network and are happy to connect families with neighbors. For information about bus routes and applicable fees click here.

Rashi offers a kosher style cold lunch program. Each month parents can choose from a selection of sandwiches, salads, bagels, fruit and cold drinks. There is an additional fee for this program.

Rashi is committed to having a socioeconomically diverse student population. Rashi grants financial aid to approximately 30% of enrolled students on the basis of demonstrated financial need. Amounts ranging from $1000 to 80% of tuition. For information about Financial Aid click here.

Each grade from Kindergarten through 5th has two homerooms with two teachers in each homeroom. In this model, one teacher is the lead teacher and the other is an assistant who usually has either recently completed a master's degree in education or is in the process of completing it. For some subjects (especially writing and reading), the two classroom teachers are joined by a learning specialist to facilitate work in small groups of 4-8 students.

Kindergarten classes are generally 16-18 students per classroom. In grades 1-5, homerooms average about 18-20 students. Starting in 3rd grade, math and Hebrew classes include students from both homerooms and are leveled (three levels for Math, four or five levels for Hebrew) and therefore tend to be smaller (generally 8-14 students) than homerooms.

In the Middle School, each grade is divided into two teams of about 18 students each. Teams move from classroom to classroom to be taught by specialists in each subject area. Math and Hebrew classes continue to be leveled (three levels for Math, and three or four for Hebrew), include students from both homerooms, and tend to be smaller (6-15). The entire Middle School is together for lunch, recess, study hall, minyan, Kabbalat Shabbat, and electives.

Rashi alumni thrive at the most challenging independent, Jewish and public high schools in the area. Rashi graduates are capable, confident, self-aware learners who take on leadership roles and our high school placement record is the natural result. Of the Rashi graduates currently in high school, approximately 40% attend public high schools, 30% attend independent schools, and 30% attend Gann Academy, the Boston area Jewish high school. Over the last five years, of those that apply to private independent high schools, 100% were accepted by at least one school, and overall, 76% of their applications were accepted to schools typically admitting 15%.

The Rashi School teaches respect for differences and recognizes that multiple perspectives inform human experience. We seek to enroll students from a range of socio-economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, from a variety of communities, and from all kinds of family configurations and structures. Additionally, The Rashi community is enriched by the presence of families from Russia, Israel, South Africa, Mexico, South America, Canada and Great Britain.

Children must be 5 years old by September 30 in order to enroll in the Kindergarten class. In some instances, we will work with the child's preschool to determine the appropriate placement for a child who just misses the cut-off.

The admissions committee looks for a fit between Rashi and the student as well as the student's family. The committee looks for a match between the child's learning profile and the school's educational approach, the fit of the child within the social structure of the classroom, and the child's ability to positively add to the classroom environment. The committee also seeks to admit candidates whose families are aligned with the school's mission, values and educational approach, and who will partner successfully with the school to support the child's success. Additionally, the committee seeks to create classes that are balanced in terms of gender, age, learning styles, personality types, geography, and economic background.

Rashi welcomes 34-36 new students in Kindergarten and typically adds 6-8 more in 1st grade. Sixth grade is also a popular entry year. In addition, we admit qualified students in every grade when space is available.

Rashi values community and recognizes that for many families, having all children enrolled in one school is a priority. However, we recognize that each child has a different learning profile and needs and that Rashi may not be a match for every child. Siblings are given priority for available spaces, however, sibling applicants must meet the same admissions criteria as all other applicants.

The Rashi community draws families from many different Jewish backgrounds and affiliations. We strive to create an inclusive culture that is respectful of different beliefs and Jewish practices. We believe that there is no right way to observe Judaism and therefore we present and discuss different customs, laws and understandings of Jewish culture and observance so that students and their families can make informed decisions as to how to incorporate Jewish practice into their lives. A family's practice (aside from our communal observances) is a personal decision.

About half of our families currently identify themselves as Reform, about a third identify as Conservative and the rest identify as Reconstructionist, Renewal, Chabad, secular or other. Rashi family practices reflect a broad range, from secular to social-justice-oriented to observing Shabbat and keeping kosher, and everything in between. Families at Rashi generally find others whose observance is similar to their own as well as those who are 'more' or 'less' observant. We are comfortable with and celebrate the full range of individuals' practice and preferences.

Rashi welcomes interfaith families raising Jewish children. In accordance with the Reform movement, we do not distinguish between children of Jewish and non-Jewish mothers.

Rashi's Kashrut Policy strives to balance a healthy respect for diversity with a desire to share and eat together as a community. Food served by the school is kosher (if meat) or vegetarian (but not necessarily displaying a hekhsher or kosher certification). We strive to offer some hekhshered food or food not requiring a hekhsher at every event. Food brought into the school from home must be either dairy, meat or pareve (neither milk not meat) and not contain pork or shellfish.

Every year, we welcome students in all grades who have transferred from other schools. Students transferring into second grade and above (except those coming from other Jewish day schools) participate in our Mechina program, a Hebrew tutoring program which prepares children to transition into their grade's Intermediate level Hebrew class within one school year. There is an additional cost for this program and financial assistance is available. The cost for this program for the 2011-2012 academic year is $1800 per family.

Synagogues are the foundation of Jewish life in America and are the primary place of worship and life cycle events. Rashi encourages all families to be active members of a synagogue. If you are not already a member of a congregation, our school rabbi would be happy to meet with you to help you find a congregation that meets your needs.

Rashi students are encouraged to be active in their youth group and to stay integrated in their synagogue's community, but participation in Hebrew school is matter of personal choice for each family. Some synagogues require students in their bar/bat mitzvah year to participate in religious school.

At Rashi, children receive a rich Jewish education. They enter their bar/bat mitzvah year with strong synagogue skills and comfort with the Reform prayerbook, Mishkan Tefilah. Students work directly with their family's congregational clergy to learn to chant their torah portion, write their divrei torah, and complete any other requirements of the congregation's bar/bat mitzvah preparation program.