About
Goldfish Swim School - Brookline, located at 20 Webster Pl, Brookline, MA, is a state-of-the-art aquatic facility dedicated to teaching children how to swim. It offers year-round, perpetual swim lessons in a safe, fun, and shiver-free environment with highly trained instructors, small class sizes, and a unique curriculum designed to build confidence and essential water safety skills.
Goldfish Swim School maintains its pools at a consistent and comfortable temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 32 degrees Celsius) to ensure a warm and enjoyable learning experience for all swimmers.
What are people saying (AI review summary)? Reviews for Goldfish Swim School in Brookline present a mixed but generally polarized view. Positive feedback highlights the patience, encouragement, and effectiveness of specific instructors (like Jizzel and Ted) in building confidence and comfort in the water, especially for children who were initially fearful or have special needs. Parents of some children, like Ruthann, reported significant improvement in swimming skills and overall confidence, praising the clean facilities, professional staff, and positive learning environment. However, a significant portion of the feedback is negative, primarily concerning billing practices and instructional effectiveness for older toddlers/children. Several parents reported unexpected charges for class level upgrades without prior notification or clear pricing information, and a strict no-refund/no-early-withdrawal policy. Furthermore, some expressed disappointment that after substantial financial investment (up to $1300 or even four years), their children, particularly toddlers, made little to no progress in learning essential swimming skills like floating or independent swimming. There's a concern that the teaching methodology is more about comfort than skill acquisition, potentially prolonging enrollment rather than teaching children to swim.
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Amenities
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Accepts Credit Cards
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Accessible Entrance
Reviews
Listing Reviews
September 11th, 2025KLR Media
My 7-year-old daughter Ruthann was just promoted to Glider 2 at Goldfish Swim School in Brookline, and I couldn't be more proud—or more impressed with the school. We've seen such an incredible improvement not only in her swimming skills but also in her overall confidence in the water. The instructors are patient, encouraging, and truly understand how to work with young children. They’ve created a fun, safe, and positive environment where kids can thrive. Ruthann looks forward to every lesson, and it’s been amazing to watch her grow stronger and more independent with each class. The staff is always friendly, organized, and professional, and the facilities are clean and well-maintained. We’re so grateful for the support and structure Goldfish provides. Highly recommend to any parent looking to help their child learn to swim and love it!
August 12th, 2025Julia Lee
TL;DR: The school charged my credit card without notifying me, and they won’t let you withdraw early or provide a refund. Also, ~$1300 later, my toddler still does not know how to float or swim without assistance. I purchased the 6-month package for my daughter for $1,040. After a few sessions in the M2 class, I felt she was ready to move up to M3 and asked if she could be placed there. I was told she was definitely ready, though it felt odd that this recommendation hadn’t come from the instructors themselves. Usually, I would expect the teachers to initiate a level change if a child is ready. Still, we moved her up and she did fine. A few weeks later, I noticed an unexpected ~$300 charge from Goldfish on my credit card. I called and emailed multiple times and didn’t get a straight answer until someone finally explained that M3 is more expensive than M2, and I was being charged the difference. No one had told me this in advance when I spoke with them earlier about changing classes. Furthermore, the Goldfish website does not state that the $1,040 package is not a flat rate for all classes over the 6-month session. When I asked to cancel the remaining sessions and withdraw early because of this unexpected charge, I was told that refunds aren't allowed and Kya had to finish up her package. My follow-up email was ignored. Needless to say, I’m disappointed in how this school handles pricing and communication. Finally, I initially enrolled my toddler in these lessons so she’d become more comfortable in the water and learn to swim or float. After spending $1,300, she still doesn’t like putting her face in the water and hasn’t made meaningful progress with swimming or floating.
April 10th, 2025Jakila Hullum
I want to thank Jizzel for being my son's instructor on his first day, for today she was very nice, patient, cautious without coddling him. My son is Autistic and gets really excited around a body of water. I like how she helped him maneuver his body through the water while staying close enough to help him if he struggles to get to the pole safely. I'm a pound mama. I would definitely go back!
March 15th, 2025David Stevens
My son has been attending Goldfish Brookline for nearly 4 years and has not learned to swim. It's the gentle parenting equivalent of swim lessons and it seems like they design the lessons to keep the kids enrolled for as long as possible. It's good for babies, but not for learning swim skills, water safety, or how to swim on their own. As a teacher and parent, I'm disappointed by the quality of instruction and cannot recommend this swim school.
September 13th, 2025shenay nay
Swim instructor by the name of Ted! Best swim instructor for my 3 year old, he is consistent and friendly ,my daughter was afraid of water, he made her comfortable enough where now she is always looking forward to swim class
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Opening Hours
| Sunday | 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM |
|---|---|
| Monday | 12:00 – 7:30 PM |
| Tuesday | 12:00 – 8:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 9:00 AM – 7:30 PM |
| Thursday | 12:00 – 7:30 PM |
| Friday | 12:00 – 6:00 PM |
| Saturday | 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM |
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