Brearley School

History

Samuel A. Brearley founded The Brearley School in 1884, and he remained the head of school until 1886 when he died of typhoid fever. James G. Croswell was the next head until his death in 1915. Since 1926, Brearley has been headed by women, first by Millicent Carey McIntosh, and 4 more women. In June 2011, headmistress Stephanie J. Hull resigned for undisclosed reasons. Recently, the school hired Jane Foley Fried to be the new head of school.

In the early 1900s, it transferred from East 45th Street to West 44th Street and then in 1912 to Park Avenue and East 61st Street, where the primary program was added. The school then moved to a new building in 1929 on East 83rd Street.

Academics

The school's curriculum is based on the liberal arts. The student-to-faculty ratio is 6:1.

Languages offered are Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. In the fall of 2004, the school piloted a new program that incorporated the use of iPods in language classes, allowing students to download portable audio lessons. The school offers art, music, and drama classes, each based on their own floor.

Students have access to two computer laboratories — one serving the Lower School, the other the Middle and Upper Schools. In addition, there are three smaller computer workrooms, one for middle schoolers and two for upper schoolers, as well as the science-projects room and laptops for use in the library and classrooms.

Rankings and college attendance

Brearley is ranked number two by The Wall Street Journal based on its ranking of students matriculating to eight national universities and liberal-arts colleges (Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pomona College, Princeton University, Swarthmore College, The University of Chicago and Williams College). It is ranked number two by Worth magazine in sending students to Harvard, Yale University or Princeton. Brearley is ranked 4th on Forbes "America's Best Prep Schools" in 2010, and first in the country among all-girls schools. Ranked 2nd best prep school in the United States and best all-girls school by Forbes in 2013.

From 2011-2015, the top 10 colleges at which Brearley students matriculated were as follows (264 students total):

1. Harvard University (22 students)
2. Columbia University (18 students)
3. Yale University (17 students)
4. Princeton University (14 students)
5. University of Pennsylvania (12 students)
6. Brown University, Williams College (9 students)
7. Dartmouth College (8 students)
8. Johns Hopkins University (7 students)
9. Washington University in St. Louis (7 students)

Student body

Current enrollment at Brearley is approximately 700 students in K-12, approximately evenly split between the Lower School, Middle School and Upper School. Students of Color represent approximately 48% of the student body. The 2016-17 tuition is $45,600; approximately 20% of the students receive financial assistance.

Sports facilities

A separate building, the "Field House" on East 87th Street, has facilities for physical education and athletics including track, soccer, basketball, tennis, badminton, volleyball, lacrosse and field hockey. In 2005, both the Varsity Volleyball and Varsity Cross-Country Teams won state championships. The Junior-Varsity Volleyball Team remained undefeated throughout its season, and won its tournament in 2007. The Cross-Country team won the New York Private School State Championship in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. The Middle School Basketball Team were the first-ever New York State Association of Independent Schools Athletic Association Middle School Champions in 2009. In 2010, all four of Brearley’s fall varsity teams competed in the NYSAIS tournament.

The school's team colors are maroon and white, and its mascot is a beaver.

Affiliated organizations