History

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Campus Middle School for Girls was founded in 1994/95 when Brigitte Pieke and Marianne Fineberg observed that their daughters - best friends - were not being challenged enough in the public middle school and suggested they try an experiment for one year. The school was started with nine girls, three professional teachers and many parent volunteers. While it was not to be home schooling, the caring, small-group atmosphere was still an academic "home away from home" (hence the original name, Home Hi).

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From the beginning, keeping Home Hi/CMS as a school for girls only was a priority for parents in that it offered a unique educational setting unlike anything else offered in the community. Emerging from the educational literature at that time were studies which suggested that in our nation's middle schools, bright girls were often not being challenged to meet their potential. These parents viewed Home Hi/CMS as a way to help their daughters achieve academically in a nurturing and caring educational environment but also stressed the goal that, through hard work and high standards, the students' feelings of self-worth would be enhanced.

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After the first year, it became clear that the experiment had been a success. Brigitte stepped forward to turn CMS into a non-profit organization and became the school's director for the next decade. Marianne Fineberg stayed on as the Art teacher until 2006.

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While Campus Middle School for Girls has grown year by year, its top priority has remained constant:  to provide motivated girls with the best possible education in a supportive learning environment.

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In 2018-19, CMS celebrated its 25th anniversary.  As part of a year-long celebration, students created a comprehensive timeline and oral history of the school's first quarter century.

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