At KO, becoming your best self isn’t the work of one transformative moment. It’s the result of hundreds of them.

A question that changes the way you think. A teacher who sees more in you. A class discussion that makes you reconsider your point of view. A teammate who pushes you. An advisor who listens. A mistake you learn from. An idea you decide to pursue.

That’s what Shaped Daily means.

As a private day school, KO gives students the challenge, support, experiences, and relationships that help them grow while keeping them connected to their families and communities. School and home work together to shape confident communicators, curious thinkers, principled leaders, and young people ready for what comes next.

What Makes a Great Teacher 

As a dedicated community of learners, teachers at Kingswood Oxford are collaborators in each student’s academic experience. They understand their students well and always know how much to challenge and support them. They listen more than they talk – differentiating instruction according to each student’s strengths and always helping them advance to their next level.

What Makes a Student Thrive 

Powerful relationships help align individual objectives with meaningful benchmarks. A team of advisors, teachers, coaches, and parents keeps an eye on all student progress – whether pursuing a long-term academic goal or managing a social interaction in the hallway. Every day, students demonstrate the value of growing confidence, compassion, independence, and self-advocacy while developing essential skills like collaboration and communication.

What a Difference Community Makes

A strong community is built when people share common values and work together to achieve personal and collective goals. The Kingswood Oxford community affirms that every member is important, belongs, contributes to the common good, and “cares beyond self. We lift one another up, elevate each others’ voices, and celebrate differences.

KO is different. There’s a feeling that surrounds the entire campus. It’s hard to describe, but it makes me feel like everything is so right. I’m where I should be, learning things that matter in a place that supports us all. KO is a safe haven.

— Olivia, junior

Kingswood Oxford is a member of these local and national academic and athletic organizations, attesting to the strength of both in the school :

Connecticut Association for Independent Schools (CAIS) 

The Connecticut Association of Independent Schools, founded in 1950, is a voluntary association of 90 non-profit independent schools serving over 32,000 students from all Connecticut towns and many other states and countries. CAIS is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, a Recognized Accrediting Association in the State of Connecticut, and a member of the International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA).

Founders League

The Founders League consists of eleven prestigious, co-educational, and single-sex schools that are part of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) and are located in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. The schools are: Avon Old Farms, Choate Rosemary Hall, Deerfield Academy, the Ethel Walker School, Hotchkiss, Kent School, Kingswood Oxford, Loomis Chaffee, Miss Porter’s, Taft School, Trinity-Pawling, and Westminster School. Many Founders League schools consistently compete at the national level, drawing students who are as committed to athletic excellence as they are to academics.

National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)

The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a nonprofit membership association that provides services to more than 2,000 schools and associations of schools in the United States and internationally. NAIS supports school leaders at all levels, including heads of school, school administrators, trustees, and faculty, with the data, research, resources, and professional learning.

New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) partners with schools to co-create the future of education through purposeful accreditation focused on high-quality learning for all students. Founded in 1885, NEASC provides a relevant, future-forward framework for meaningful, ongoing whole school improvement through accreditation, professional assistance, and the pursuit of best practices for grades PK through 12.

NEASC is an independent, voluntary, nonprofit organization whose membership represents a broad array of diverse educational institutions unified in their commitment to improvement and growth. More than 1500 public, independent, and international schools in the United States and in over 90 countries around the world are NEASC Members, Candidates for Accreditation, or have achieved Eligibility for Accreditation. A globally recognized standard of excellence, NEASC Accreditation attests to a school’s high quality and integrity.

WALKS Constitutional Essay Contest

Founded in 1962 by two Hartford attorneys, the WALKS Foundation’s Constitutional Essay Contest was established to promote a deeper understanding of the U.S. Constitution—its origins, guiding principles, and relevance to contemporary issues.

The competition is open to history students from the five WALKS schools: Westminster, Avon Old Farms, Loomis Chaffee, Kingswood Oxford, and Suffield Academy. Each school’s History Department Chair selects the top two research papers, and their authors advance as finalists. The anonymous papers are read and critiqued by a distinguished judge. 

Relationships are central to KO because the best learning happens when there is a connection. The connections the students make with adults is not only in the classroom but in the advising meetings where the adults get to know the students holistically – as an athlete, a performer, a student.

— Carolyn McKee, Director of Academic Planning