Rocky Hill School


Rocky Hill Country Day School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school located on 84 acres along the Potowomut River and Narragansett Bay in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. It educates in grades nursery through grade 12.
WWW rockyhill.org

History

Rocky Hill Country Day School was founded in 1934 as the Rocky Hill School for Boys by educators Dorothy Marshall and Esther Banfield Brown in Newport, Rhode Island. Originally established to offer a rigorous academic program rooted in moral character and leadership for young men, the school relocated in 1941 to the historic Hopelands estate in Potowomut, a peninsula in Warwick, Rhode Island, bordered by the towns of East Greenwich and North Kingstown. The new 84-acre waterfront campus along Narragansett Bay was once known as Potowomut Farm and holds deep historical significance, including ties to the Greene family and indigenous land use prior to European settlement.
In 1967, the school transitioned to a coeducational model, offering lower, middle, and upper school divisions. Over the decades, Rocky Hill has remained committed to academic excellence while evolving its programs to meet the needs of today’s learners. The campus is home to several historically significant buildings, including the original manor house and carriage house, which have been thoughtfully restored for academic and community use.
Research on the school’s history and its surrounding region has been compiled by Charles Laurent, RHCD Fifth Grade Teacher and Resident Historian. His work includes:

Heads of School

Dorothy Knott Marshall - Headmistress - 1934 – 1941

Nathan Hale - Headmaster - 1941 – 1962

Robert Smith - Headmaster - 1962 – 1967

Hugh Campbell - Headmaster - 1967 – 1975

Alan Flynn Jr - Headmaster - 1975 – 1991

R. Leith Herrmann - Headmaster - 1991 – 1995

James Young - Headmaster - 1996 – 2013

Jonathan Schoenwald - Headmaster - 2011 – 2013

Peter Branch - Headmaster - 2013 – 2016

James Tracy - Headmaster - 2016 – 2018

Diane Rich - Head of School - 2018 – 2024

Dan Rocha - Interim Head of School - 2024 – 2025

Christine Heine - Head of School - 2025 – Present

Facilities

Notable alumni