The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a

coeducation Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

al,

nonsectarian Nonsectarian institutions are secular institutions or other organizations not affiliated with or restricted to a particular religious group. Academic sphere Examples of US universities that identify themselves as being nonsectarian include Adelp ...

day and five-day boarding school for students in grades seven through twelve. It is near Boston on a campus that borders the

Charles River The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles b ...

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...

. The current enrollment of 614 students includes a balance of boys and girls. The boarding program hosts 45 students who live on campus five days a week. The majority of students are from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, neighboring states, and occasionally from abroad. In recent history, all members of the senior class go on to accredited four-year colleges and universities. In 2010, Nobles was ranked as the 18th best prep school in the United States by ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

''. Nobles has 134 faculty members, with a student to faculty ratio of approximately 6:1. The average class size is 12. Tuition for the 2021-2022 academic year is $55,700 for day students and $61,700 for five-day boarding students. Nobles' historic athletic rival is

Milton Academy Milton Academy (also known as Milton) is a highly selective, coeducational, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lower School. Boarding is offered ...

. The Noble and Greenough Middle School consists of 122 students in the 7th and 8th grades, with approximately 60 students in each grade. The middle school has a different afternoon activities program from the upper school. Not all students start in the middle school at Nobles.

History

Nobles was founded in 1866 by George Washington Copp Noble, in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts, as an all-boys preparatory school for

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. It became known as Noble & Greenough in 1892. During World War I, the school merged with Boston-based Volkman School, which had faced a drastically declining student population due to the headmaster's German origins. There is a monument to the Volkman School on the Nobles campus. In 1922, the school moved from Boston to its current location in Dedham. The property had previously been the estate of Albert W. Nickerson. The grounds were designed by

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...

. The school discontinued its lower school at this time, which caused parents to start the

Dexter School The Dexter Southfield School is an independent co-educational day school located in Brookline, Massachusetts, educating students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Dexter Southfield was founded in 1926 as the Dexter School. In 2013 the ...

, to fill the gap created. In 1975, Nobles began admitting girls.

Athletics at Nobles

Nobles is a member of the

Independent School League Independent School League or ISL may refer to: * Independent School League (Illinois), a group of nine Chicago-area preparatory schools * Independent School League (New England), a group of 16 New England preparatory schools * Independent School Le ...

. The school has 25 varsity teams. Boys and girls participate in soccer, cross-country, hockey, basketball, squash, skiing, golf, lacrosse, tennis, crew, and the newly formed ultimate frisbee team. Boys also participate in football, wrestling, and baseball, while girls participate in volleyball, field hockey and softball. Former

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

hockey players, goalie,

John Muse John Roger Muse (born August 1, 1988) is an American ice hockey goaltender who is currently with Glasgow Clan in the UK Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). Muse was most recently with Rødovre Mighty Bulls in the Danish Metal Ligaen. He also previou ...

( AHL), and forwards,

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(

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(NHL) and younger brother Kevin Hayes (NHL), attended Nobles. Chris Huxley, Harvard Captain Nobles and

historically have a Nobles/Milton Day each athletic season. On this day, usually nearing or on the last game of the season, the two schools compete in almost every sport.

Notable graduates

Notable

alumni Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

of Noble and Greenough include: NG MainBuilding

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, class of 1994, president of the

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* Devin Gallaher, Class of 2008, Artist *

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, director of the

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, class of 1982, actor featured in ER,

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Ayla Brown Ayla Marie Brown (born July 28, 1988) is an American recording artist from Wrentham, Massachusetts and former college basketball, NCAA basketball player. She was a contestant on ''American Idol'' on American Idol (season 5), season 5 in 2006 and ...

, class of 2006, singer and daughter of Massachusetts Senator

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* Michael Jude Christodal, class of 1986, recording artist, songwriter * Chris Cleary, class of 1998, professional soccer player *

Harry Crosby Harry Crosby (June 4, 1898 – December 10, 1929) was an American heir, World War I veteran, ''bon vivant'', poet, and publisher who for some epitomized the Lost Generation in American literature. He was the son of one of the richest banking fam ...

, founder of the Black Sun Press *

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, American actor * Harry J. Elam Jr., president of

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* Keith Elam, member of

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, aka Guru * Selden Edwards, class of 1959, best-selling novelist *

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, class of 2006, hockey player for New Jersey Devils of NHL * Richard P. Freeman, class of 1888, U.S. Representative * Seth Goldman, class of 1983, cofounder, president and CEO of

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* Wycliffe Grousbeck, class of 1979, co-owner of the

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* Tucker Halpern, class of 2009, member of the Grammy-nominated DJ duo

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* Kevin Hayden, class of 1986, Suffolk County district attorney *

(ice hockey) Professional hockey player

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* Kevin Hayes, class of 2011, professional hockey player,

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, class of 1927, weapons designer, Harvard professor *

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, class of 1954, educator, activist & author *

Mr. Lif Jeffrey Haynes (born December 28, 1977), better known by his stage name Mr. Lif, is an American rapper from Boston, Massachusetts. While being praised because of his political lyrics, he has released two studio albums on Definitive Jux and one ...

, rap artist *

Clarence Cook Little Clarence Cook Little (October 6, 1888 – December 22, 1971) was an American genetics, cancer, and tobacco researcher and academic administrator, as well as a eugenicist. Early life C. C. Little was born in Brookline, Massachusetts and atte ...

, class of 1906, biologist and president of

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

Royal Little Royal Little (March 1, 1896 – January 10, 1989) was the founder and chair of Textron, and is considered to be the father of conglomerates. Little graduated from Noble & Greenough School in 1915 and from Harvard University in 1919, despite ...

, class of 1915, founder of

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company

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and "father of conglomerates" *

A. Lawrence Lowell Abbott Lawrence Lowell (December 13, 1856 – January 6, 1943) was an American educator and legal scholar. He was President of Harvard University from 1909 to 1933. With an "aristocratic sense of mission and self-certainty," Lowell cut a large f ...

, class of 1873, President of Harvard (1909–1933) *

Guy Lowell Guy Lowell (August 6, 1870 – February 4, 1927), was an American architect and landscape architect. Biography Born in Boston, Lowell was the son of Mary Walcott (Goodrich) and Edward Jackson Lowell, and a member of Boston's well-known Lowe ...

, class of 1888, architect of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the New York State Supreme Courthouse *

Percival Lowell Percival Lowell (; March 13, 1855 – November 12, 1916) was an American businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who fueled speculation that there were canals on Mars, and furthered theories of a ninth planet within the Solar System. ...

, class of 1872, astronomer * Ralph Lowell, class of 1907, banker and philanthropist *

Francis Peabody Magoun Francis Peabody Magoun, Jr. Military Cross, MC (6 January 1895 – 5 June 1979) was one of the seminal figures in the study of medieval and English literature in the 20th century, a scholar of subjects as varied as soccer and ancient Germani ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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and scholar of languages and literature *

Samuel Eliot Morison Samuel Eliot Morison (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history and American history that were both authoritative and popular. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and ta ...

, class of 1901, American historian and author *

Albert Nickerson Albert Lindsay Nickerson Jr. (January 17, 1911 – August 7, 1994) was an American business executive. He served as the Chairperson#Chairperson and CEO, chairman and CEO of Mobil, Mobil Oil, and chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from ...

, class of 1929, former chief executive of

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and chairman of Federal Reserve Bank of New York *

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, class of 2005, member of the 2006 Olympic ice hockey team *

William Phillips William Phillips may refer to: Entertainment * William Phillips (editor) (1907–2002), American editor and co-founder of ''Partisan Review'' * William T. Phillips (1863–1937), American author * William Phillips (director), Canadian film-make ...

, class of 1896, United States diplomat *

Roger Putnam Roger Lowell Putnam (December 19, 1893 – November 24, 1972) was an American politician and businessman. A member of the prominent Lowell family of Boston, he served as Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1937 until 1943, and as director ...

, American politician and businessman * Helen Resor, class of 2004, member of the 2006 Olympic ice hockey team * Alexander H. Rice Jr., class of 1894, physician and explorer of South America *

Leverett Saltonstall Leverett A. Saltonstall (September 1, 1892June 17, 1979) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He served three two-year terms as the List of Governors of Massachusetts, 55th Governor of Massachusetts, and for more than twent ...

, class of 1910, governor of Massachusetts (1939–1945) and United States Senator (1945–1967) *

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, class of 1935, governor of Massachusetts (1969–1975) * Henry Lee Shattuck, class of 1897, attorney, philanthropist and politician *

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, inventor of the

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, Harvard professor * Courtney Sims, class of 2003, NBA Basketball player * Warren Cummings Smith, class of 2011,

2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympic ...

alpine skier * Robert Storer (b. 1893) Harvard University football player and World War I war hero *

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, class of 2002, Olympic women's hockey player for Team USA * J. Rupert Thompson, class of 1986, reality television show producer * Chris Tierney, class of 2004, professional soccer player,

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, class of 1983, best-selling novelist * George Clapp Vaillant, anthropologist and author * Dan Weinstein, class of 1999, Olympic speed skater *

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, class of 1959, former president and CEO of the

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, class of 2015, professional ice hockey player for the New Jersey Devils

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Noble And Greenough School 1866 establishments in Massachusetts Boarding schools in Massachusetts Co-educational boarding schools Educational institutions established in 1866 Independent School League Private high schools in Massachusetts Private middle schools in Massachusetts Private preparatory schools in Massachusetts Schools in Dedham, Massachusetts