History
Our Foundational Journey
In 1886 Miss Mary Pickard Winsor started a six-month school in Boston, beginning with eight girls in a private home on Beacon Hill. The school grew quickly and began sending graduates to college in 1895.
Unlike many girls' schools of the era, Winsor persevered. Today, Winsor remains a school with high aspirations and a clear sense of purpose, now living and evolving in a new century. It is a complex and active community, shaped by its history, inspiring faculty and talented students.
Timeline
1886
Mary Pickard Winsor opens a six-month school for eight girls at 334 Boylston Street in Boston’s Back Bay, the first of six locations in various townhouses in the neighborhood. Ahead of her time, Miss Winsor wanted to prepare women to be self-supporting and hoped they would be competent, responsible, and generous-minded. By 1900 the student body grows to 99 girls.
1907
A group of parents and other supporters of girls’ education forms the Winsor Corporation and purchases land on the Fenway. The incorporators hire Boston architect, R. Clipston Sturgis, to build 'the most perfect schoolhouse,' and they ask Miss Winsor to head the school. President Eliot of Harvard, an original incorporator and grandfather of two Winsor girls, suggests the motto: 'A sound mind in a sound body.'
1910
Miss Winsor’s School relocates from the Back Bay to the new building in the Longwood area and opens with 225 students. It includes a library, science laboratories, art studios, a gymnasium, and swimming pool. The 1910 graduating class presents the Lamp and the banner to go to the new school building.
1910
Until the move in 1910, the school had been known as Miss Winsor's School. When leaders suggested The Winsor School as the name of the newly incorporated institution, Miss Winsor questioned why 'this big enterprise' should be 'tied to the name of one small individual.' The issue was finally settled when students and members of The Graduate Club petitioned the incorporators.
1915
The first edition of the student-run publication, the “Lamp,” is published in December.
1918
“School City” student government is started to teach students about civic leadership.
1923
Winsor acquires the land owned by the Longwood Cricket Club when the club moves to Chestnut Hill. In 1924, the first Gymnasium (“cage”) is built on the former Cricket Club land.
1931
The Class IV Shakespeare play tradition begins with the production of “Twelfth Night.”
1936
The first Class banner is created for the Class of 1936.
1943
Winsor opens a five-day boarding residence for approximately 14 students at 12 Hawes Street in Brookline, within walking distance of school. It operates until 1954 and the building is sold in 1955.