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      • ECF serves approximately 1,670 students and 325 faculty and staff in four divisions: Ethical Culture, Fieldston Lower, Fieldston Middle, and Fieldston Upper. Ethical Culture is located in midtown Manhattan on Central Park West, in a six-story, turn-of-the-century school building; the other divisions share an 18-acre campus in the Riverdale section of the Bronx.
      • Students of color make up about 24% of the student body; teachers of color make up about 10% of the faculty. There are numerous groups throughout the school, from the board to the student level, that focus on the multicultural life of the community.

        Read more about ECF’s commitment to diversity here
      • The Ethical Culture Fieldston School has two campuses, one in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, and the other in Manhattan. The Ethical Culture, located in Manhattan has students in grades PreK-5. On the Fieldston campus in Riverdale is Fieldston Lower (PreK-5), Fieldston Middle (grades 6-8), and Fieldston Upper (grades 9-12).
      • Yes. For an additional fee, enrolled students may register for after school activities at Fieldston Lower and Ethical Culture. For more information, see the current programs at Ethical Culture and Fieldston Lower.

      • At ECF, learning grows out of curiosity, of wanting to know and to do. Education here is focused on giving each individual the opportunities, skills, and encouragement to develop a unique self. It is learning that is always doing, making, shaping, building, growing, and thinking. Cooperative and social, it sometimes means being part of a team, but it is also introspective - learning to listen to one's conscience and to follow one's heart.

        ECF offers an innovative and rigorous experience. At ECF it is learning with purpose: to be a clear and daring thinker, to be good and kind, to be competent and skillful, to be a responsible citizen, to be an agent of positive change. It is an education which prepares you not simply for college, but for life.

        ECF enthusiastically embraces the ideals, the values, and the methods of progressive education. At ECF, learning to learn and understanding what it is to understand are essential skills that only come from doing.

        As one of the oldest progressive schools in the nation, ECF is unique in blending a progressive approach to education with academic excellence and ethical learning.



      • The Ethical Culture Fieldston School was founded by Felix Adler in 1878. Read here about our history and mission.
      • Approximately 82% of ECF income is from tuition and fees, 7% from investment income, 5% from unrestricted gifts, and 6% from other sources - primarily income from related programs and auxiliary services.
      • The school was founded in 1878 by Felix Adler, founder of the New York Society for Ethical Culture, as the Workingman's School. The name was changed, in 1890, to the Ethical Culture School. In 1928, on the 50th anniversary of its founding, the school expanded to its second campus in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Fieldston graduated its first class of students in 1929. In 1932, the campus expanded further to include Fieldston Lower, our second elementary division. The school's name was officially changed to the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in 1997.
      • Click here for names of the current board members.
      • The school has two campuses, one in midtown Manhattan opposite Central Park and the other in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Get directions to each campus and a map link here.
      • Felix Adler, Ph.D. (1851-1933) founded the New York Society for Ethical Culture, the national and international Ethical Culture movements, and the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. He was a professor of social and political ethics at Columbia University from 1902 until 1933.

        Dr. Adler was an ardent social critic as well as civic and religious leader. He was a pioneer in labor, housing, and educational reform, and in the movement to abolish child labor. His founding of the school was in response to the need for providing an education for the children of the working poor. Today, Adler's vision remains an integral part of the school and its         mission.
      • Yes. Sibling and alumni applications are given special consideration. ECF prefers to keep families together; however, admission is not automatic. All applicants (regardless of prior family connection to the school) are evaluated according to the same criteria. All decisions weigh the best interests of the individual child and the best interests of the school. With ever growing numbers of sibling and legacy families applying, admissions decisions have become more selective in an effort to continue to provide access to families new to the school, and who represent the school’s mission and goals.
      • Yes. Group tours and open houses are offered in the Fall and the Spring. Information about the school and the admission process is presented by the faculty and administration. Please contact the office of admissions at the division you are interested in touring to make an appointment.
      • Yes. Applications, instructions, and deadlines are all available for downloading and printing in the admissions section of the website - click here.
      • Families must apply to one division but can request to be considered at either division should an opening become available. Families who wish to tour both campuses before making their final choice should contact the director of admissions at either location to make arrangements.
      • Letters of recommendation are not required for students applying to pre-kindergarten through first grade, but we will read and consider any letters that are sent on behalf of an applicant.

        We ask that applicants to grades 2-5 submit one academic recommendation form (included in the application package).

        Applicants to grades 6-12 must submit two academic recommendation forms from current teachers (mathematics, English, history, science or foreign language).

        Personal recommendations are not required, but will be included as part of your child's application file if received. If you choose to submit personal recommendations they are most appropriate from people who know both you and your child personally.
      • Yes. Each year we receive applications from many more qualified candidates than we are able to admit. Children whom we would have admitted were the class size not limited are offered a place in the wait pool. Wait pool candidates are not ranked numerically. Should an opening become available, the wait pool candidates are reviewed and another round of selections is made. Offers of acceptance from the wait pool can be made on a rolling basis throughout the spring and summer months as openings become available. Offers cannot be made to families who have enrolled at ISAAGNY member schools. Wait pool activity varies from year to year and is impossible to predict. If (while active in the wait pool) you sign a contract with another ISAAGNY member school you are obligated to withdraw your child’s name from all wait pools.
      • Click here for a list of colleges chosen by our recent graduates.
      • Admissions entry points at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School are at the pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, sixth and ninth grade levels. Openings in all other grades are dependent on attrition. Therefore, applications to non-entry-point grades are accepted only on an interview wait pool basis.

        The interview wait pool - Applications for non-entry-point grades will be reviewed and candidates will be selected to complete the interview process if and when an opening is anticipated.
      • Financial aid is available to those families who demonstrate a financial need. We have one of the largest and most comprehensive financial aid budgets of any independent day school in the country. Click here for additional information.
      • Yes. Our age policy requires that children applying to pre-k must have passed their fourth birthday by September 1 of the year they are entering pre-k. All applicants for kindergarten must have passed their fifth birthday by September 1 of the year they are entering kindergarten. First graders must be 6 years old.
      • When selecting new students to join our community, we look at several areas. The student report, academic recommendations, ERB and ISEE test results, interview and extra-curricular activities. It is important to us that we admit students who will be able to have a successful academic career as well as participate in the life of the school.
      • The application process can be stressful for all involved. You, as parents, want to ensure you are doing all you can to provide your child with the best opportunities. We, as admissions professionals and educators, strive to make the process as informative and positive as possible. Please make sure you are aware of all the requirements and deadlines as you head into the process. Only those applications that are completed by the deadline date will be considered for admission. Missing deadlines and rescheduling appointments may delay the application process. Feel free to contact the admissions office if you have any questions or concerns.
      • A course of studies booklet describes courses at Fieldston and is available for download and from the school office and the admissions office. A similar brochure is available for Fieldston middle.

        For more information on the curriculum at Ethical Culture and Fieldston Lower, visit their sections of the website or contact the admissions office.

      • Classes begin in September on the Thursday after Labor Day. The first two days are half-days (noon dismissal) for the elementary divisions. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students have an additional phase-in period. Middle and high school students begin with a full day of classes. During the week before classes begin, the upper school (grades 7-12) reports for orientation and registration. Students participating in fall sports at the high school begin practice in August.
      • An online sports calendar with scores and schedules for future games is available here.

        You can also download the latest DateBook with a one-month schedule of sporting events from our website.
      • To protect the privacy of our alumni, our policy is not to share biographical information without consent. However, we want to keep alumni in touch with one another and so the following procedure has been established.

        You may write a letter to the classmate you would like to contact, seal it in a blank envelope, and place it in another envelope, addressed to the alumni office to the attention of Toby Himmel, Director of Alumni Relations, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Fieldston Road, Bronx NY 10471-3997.

        Be sure to include a note with your name and telephone number as well as the person you are trying to contact.

        For further information, contact Toby Himmel at (718) 329-7329.
      • The Ethical Culture Fieldston School has two campuses: the Ethical Culture campus is located in Manhattan; Fieldston Lower, Fieldston Middle, and Fieldston Upper are on the Fieldston campus in the Riverdale area of the Bronx, NY.

        Click here for directions and map links to each campus.
      • There is limited visitor parking on the Fieldston and Fieldston Lower campuses. In Manhattan, there are several public parking garages in the Lincoln Center area, adjacent to Ethical Culture. The garage closest to the school is located between Broadway and Central Park West, with two entrances - one on 63rd Street, and one on 64th Street.
 
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