The Advent School Mission
Since 1961, The Advent School has stayed true to its founding vision: an urban school whose community reflects the diversity of Boston; a forward-thinking curriculum that inspires and engages a child’s passion for learning; a commitment to social justice; and a culture of collaboration where every child has the confidence to take action in a connected world.
Advent was founded for a different purpose.
Advent was founded as a non-secular school where all of Boston's children could learn and thrive together, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, neighborhood, or socioeconomic status.
Today, Advent remains the premier progressive Reggio Emilia-inspired elementary school dedicated to educating all of Boston’s children.
In 1961, at the start of Boston’s desegregation conflict, Dr. Mona C. Hull looked at her community and said, “Our children live together. They should learn together in reflection of the city they come from.”
“Our children live together. They should learn together in reflection of the city they come from.”
With the championship of the Beacon Hill community, the City of Boston, and parishioners from Church of the Advent, Hull opened The Advent School on a shoestring budget and became its first Head.
The school was built dollar by dollar as families heard about the small, innovative, integrated school on the Hill. They were drawn to its progressive statement, "The school is concerned with the development of the whole child and offers programs to promote the intellectual, physical, cultural, artistic, and religious development of students with individual attention given to each child's needs and abilities."
Advent opened as an fully inclusive school in 1961, 13 years before the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts decided Morgan vs. Hennigan, which ordered Boston's public schools to integrate.
Today, Advent welcomes more than 130 students from over 40 communities across Greater Boston. Through their studies, they research both historical and contemporary social movements, sparking meaningful discussions about society and equity. These explorations encourage students to reflect on complex issues and imagine how they might use their own ideas and voices to create positive change.
Rooted in the Reggio Emilia philosophy and guided by academic rigor, Advent nurtures each child’s curiosity while challenging them to think deeply, collaborate with others, and grow into a confident and capable reader, writer, and thinker.
“The mission of The Advent School is a promise to raise children who are not only learners, but leaders—who understand that action begins with empathy, curiosity, and the willingness to listen deeply, to extend grace, and to collaborate.”
The Advent School playground in the early 1970s.
The Advent School playground in 2024.