Lower School
Curiosity Begins Here
LOWER SCHOOL · GRADES PreK–5
In Bancroft’s Lower School, from PreK through grade 5, students ask questions, try ideas, share what they notice, and build the skills to take the next step.
Early Learning at Bancroft
PreK and Kindergarten begin their Bancroft education with early literacy and mathematics, purposeful play, hands-on exploration, and opportunities to ask questions and share ideas.
PreK
In PreK, students build language and early math skills while learning to share, take turns, follow classroom routines, and express their ideas. Through Central Subject units including “Who Am I,” “Me and My Community,” “Me and My World,” “Sprouting Seeds,” and “Life on the Farm,” students explore identity, community, cultures, plants, animals, and the natural world.
Kindergarten
In Kindergarten, students continue building foundational reading, writing, and math skills while expanding the questions they ask. Through units including “Citizenship and Gratitude,” “Past & Present,” “Our Neighborhood,” “Global Connections: Asia,” “Animal Exploration,” “Light & Sound,” and “Ocean Life,” students investigate how people live, how communities work, and how the world around them functions.
Inquiry
First questions grow into research.
At Bancroft School, we bring values to life through the real work students do across the Lower School. In Kindergarten students ask what makes a neighborhood special, how people lived long ago, where light comes from, what makes sound, and how ocean animals live.
THEN IT GROWS: In Grade 1, students become Map Explorers and Australia researchers. By Grade 4, they take on changemaker research, American Revolution book clubs, Wax Museum speech presentations, and Poetry Cafe.
Community
Students learn what community means.
Grade 1 students explore emotions, empathy, friendship, kindness, cooperation, and how their words and actions affect others.
THEN IT GROWS: By Grade 4, they study upstanders and changemakers, asking how individual actions impact a community. By Grade 5, students take on more visible leadership through the Grade 5 play, service projects, and Earth Day activities.
Connection
Learning moves across subjects.
In Grade 3, students begin connecting design, technology, art, and storytelling through TinkerCAD, Scratch, classroom-inspired art, and scripted scenes.
THEN IT GROWS: By Grade 5, those connections become more complex. Students create interactive Scratch projects, design in TinkerCAD, and program dancing robots with Python and Microbit, bringing art, design, coding, and performance together in one project.
The Lower School Difference
Learn more about our Lower School program and curriculum below
Central Subject
Central Subject
Curriculum in the Lower School places the student at the heart of the learning. Students take an active role, participating in activities, discussions, and problem-solving, developing critical thinking, collaboration, and self-directed learning skills. Teachers guide and support students as they explore topics, encouraging autonomy and a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
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Literacy
Literacy
The Bancroft Lower School literacy curriculum builds a strong foundation in phonics and decoding so students develop the tools for reading success. Our structured literacy program focuses on five key pillars: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
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Mathematics
Mathematics
Lower School mathematics develops conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and flexible problem-solving. These experiences lay the foundation for the higher-level math students encounter in Middle School and the advanced coursework available in Upper School, including multivariable calculus.
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Portrait of a Learner
Portrait of a Learner
Bancroft’s “Portrait of a Learner” is a living framework that guides teaching and learning. It reflects our commitment to developing students who are intellectually curious, socially responsible, and prepared to shape the future with confidence and character. Together, these qualities define what it means to learn and to thrive at Bancroft.
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Social and Emotional Learning
Social and Emotional Learning
Through daily practice and the Second Step curriculum, students build self-awareness, empathy, and the skills to make responsible choices and solve problems.
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Student Voices at Bancroft
Student Voices at Bancroft
Students share ideas, make choices, and present their work to real audiences, building confidence and a sense of agency in their learning
READ MOREReady to Take Deeper Dive?
Take a deeper dive into our Lower School curriculum and schedule a visit to see students learning.
