Waterside School

Welcome to Waterside School

My name is Paris L. McLean, and I am honored to serve as Head of School. Waterside is a Junior Kindergarten through 5th grade independent school in Stamford, Connecticut, serving 140 students and their families. Our diverse, caring community is united by a powerful mission and a simple pledge: Work Hard, Be Kind, Respect Learning. These words guide how we learn, how we treat one another, and how we approach the world around us.

For more than 25 years, Waterside has been built on the belief that an outstanding independent school education should be accessible to children regardless of income or circumstance. Our students possess the talent, curiosity, ambition, and promise to thrive. By removing the financial barrier of tuition, Waterside gives them access to an exceptional academic and social experience that builds both a strong educational foundation and strength of character.

And our commitment does not end at 5th grade graduation. Through our promise of Junior Kindergarten through Success, Waterside continues to support our graduates as they move through independent school, high school, college, and into their careers. Today, more than 380 Waterside alumni are building on the foundation they began here.

This mission is deeply personal to me. As a scholarship student at Princeton Day School during my junior and senior years of high school, I experienced firsthand the transformative power of an independent school education—and the generosity of others who helped make that opportunity possible. Leading a school centered on educational access and excellence is both a privilege and a calling.

Over my 23 years as an educator, I have also held firmly to the belief that education should be joyful. I began my career as a second-grade classroom teacher, where I learned that children do their best learning when they are excited to come to school, encouraged to ask questions, and challenged to think deeply about the world around them. I believe independent schools should develop independent thinkers. At Waterside, we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to create that kind of learning community every day.

Whether you are a prospective family looking for the right school for your child, an educator seeking a dynamic professional community, or someone inspired to support our mission, I hope you will come visit us.

Our doors are open, and I look forward to welcoming you.

There are many schools, but there is only one Waterside.

In partnership,

Paris L. McLean
Head of School