The Frederick Gunn School, founded in 1850, is a co-ed boarding and day school for 330 students in grades 9-12 as well as a post-graduate year located in Washington, CT. The school’s student body typically consists of students from more than 25 states and over 20 countries - nearly 80% of students live on campus. Frederick Gunn was a pioneering educator, courageous abolitionist, and rugged outdoorsman. He inspired generations of students to be curious and thoughtful, to be active members of their communities, and to stand up for what they believe in - he was a transformational leader. Gunn students develop lifelong learning and leadership skills they need to be active and responsible citizens, both locally and globally. We prepare our students for what’s next as they continue to learn and grow, in college and in life. It all begins in the classroom, yet because we are a boarding school, it intentionally spans across all of our on-campus experiences. Built on a timeless educational philosophy, with its emphasis on challenging academics, character development, curiosity, risk-taking, problem solving, and independent thinking, we meet every student where they are, while never letting them stay there.
What Makes Us Unique
Gunn’s innovative learning ecosystem is built around four distinctive pillars: risk-taking and innovation, learning yourself and how to learn, public character and active citizenship, and a sense of rootedness and place. These four pillars inform all that we do on campus with the following programs serving as examples of putting our pillars into action. The Center for Citizenship and Just Democracy is a four-year curriculum central to each student’s development where we put the focus on reasoned dialogue and rational debate. In the classroom, our Innovation, Design, Engineering and Applied Scholarship (IDEAS) program is a collaborative curriculum that crosses the boundaries of engineering, science, math and business. Through our Center for Entrepreneurship , students develop skills that we know matter for life itself - self-awareness, creativity, ability to assess risk, team orientation, resilience and being proactive. Away from the classroom and inspired by our pillars, Gunn Outdoors is a cornerstone experience on our campus promoting outdoor life and allowing students further opportunities to take risks, problem solve and lead in a world that won’t conform to their every desire.
Campus Highlights
Athletics
35 sports
STEM Labs
Dedicated STEM Center
Arts
Orchestra & Jazz band
Campus
220 acres
Key Stats
Boarding80%
International20%
Students of Color30%
Founded1850
Campus Size220 acres
Nearby AirportsHartford, CT and New York City airports