The Rivers School was founded in 1915 in Brookline, Massachusetts as an open-air educational school for boys. The school grew rapidly and moved several times to increasingly larger sites until it opened in its current home in 1960 on the banks of Nonesuch Pond in Weston, just 15 miles west of Boston. In 1975, the school was enhanced by the opening of The Rivers School Conservatory, a community conservatory offering classes for Rivers students as well as children and adults in the community. In 1991, The Rivers School became co-educational.

Currently, The Rivers School has an enrollment of 433 students in grades 6-12. The Middle School (grades 6, 7 and 8) has an enrollment of 106 students and is a model of innovation, challenge and collaboration. Structured yet creative, the program provides a firm foundation upon which students build when they enter the Upper School. All Middle School students are immersed in a challenging academic curriculum, engage in a performance-based music course, meet daily with their advisor and participate in athletics each season.

The Upper School (grades 9-12) has an enrollment of 327. The Upper School faculty challenges students to explore new areas in a rigorous yet nurturing college-preparatory curriculum. Students are invited to strengthen existing talents while discovering new interests and becoming independent in their academic and cocurricular activities. Honors and Advanced Placement courses are offered in most disciplines. As a member of the Independent School League (ISL), Rivers students find athletic excellence in 14 different varsity and junior varsity level sports. The new Rivers Conservatory Program offers an extraordinary opportunity for the serious musician.

The school's beautiful natural campus includes buildings that reflect the "open air" philosophy of the early years with large picture windows, high peaked ceilings and outdoor walkways. The newly renovated MacDowell Library and Lewis Math and Science Center provide state of the art facilities for both Middle and Upper School students. The spacious playing fields enhance the school's athletic programs. In the fall of 2003, Rivers celebrated the opening of the MacDowell Athletic Center, a new 78,000-square-foot athletic facility. Included in the new facility are the Benson Gymnasium and the MacDowell Ice Arena.

The highly experienced college counselors lead students through an extensive two-year process of workshops and self-evaluation to help determine the best college choices for individual students. In most years, 100 percent of the graduating seniors will matriculate at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Graduates of 2007 are attending Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Wesleyan, Colby, Connecticut College, Tufts, Vanderbilt, New York University, Villanova, George Washington, Oberlin College, Notre Dame, Williams and other outstanding colleges and universities.