Where academic excellence meets ethical learning.
Our Educational Experience
The Ethical Culture Fieldston School, comprising four divisions (Pre-K through 12th Grade), is located across two historic campuses in Manhattan and the Bronx. Founded by the humanitarian leader Felix Adler in 1878, the School was established to ensure that all children have access to a quality education. Then known as the Workingman’s School, it emphasized moral education, psychological development, and integration of the creative and manual arts with academics — key components of what we now know as progressive education.
Today, Adler’s educational vision is as vital as it was when the ECFS opened its doors in 1878. To continue to realize that vision, we embrace the following principles: Academic Excellence, Progressive Education, and Ethical Learning. From Pre-K through 12th Grade, our students grow as scholars and as citizens, developing the intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and ethical awareness to make a meaningful impact on the world.
The heart of our educational program is the study and practice of ethics, which prepares us — and compels us — to take care of our world, ourselves, and each other.
Pillars of Our Mission
Academic Excellence
ECFS offers a rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum that builds mastery across the humanities, sciences, mathematics, and the arts. Students are challenged to think critically, communicate effectively, and pursue advanced scholarship in order to reach their highest academic potential.
Progressive Education
Rooted in our core tenets of progressive education, learning at ECFS is project-based, inquiry-driven, and student-centered. From hands-on exploration in the lower divisions to independent research at Fieldston Upper, students develop as innovative thinkers and self-directed learners.
Ethical Learning
Grounded in a formal ethics curriculum, ECFS students engage deeply with questions around social and moral responsibility. They learn to connect their classroom experiences into action — contributing thoughtfully to their communities and the wider world.
Our Core Tenets
Our academic program is built around ten core tenets of progressive education. These tenets were developed by our own faculty and staff to define how students experience our curriculum. They began by asking, “What do we most want our students to learn, experience, and carry with them?”
Championing Students
At ECFS, we champion a robust network of care rooted in the understanding that students learn best when they feel seen, known, and supported. Our Executive Directors of Teaching & Learning, Technology, Belonging and Social Impact, and Student Support work together to empower every member of our community to nurture each child’s growth through personalized, comprehensive guidance that helps them learn, belong, and thrive. All of our students benefit from the following team of dedicated professionals:
- Principals and Administrative Teams: Provide visionary leadership and lead development of students’ academic plans and involvement in the school community
- Assistant Principals of Academic and Student Life: (One pair per division) Focus on the holistic student experience by overseeing academic programs, student engagement, and community life within each division
- Head and Associate Teachers: Grade level experts who guide daily learning with care, skill, and understanding of each student’s needs
- Grade Deans and Advisors: Guide students’ academic growth and community engagement within each grade level
- Psychologists and Counselors: Support students’ emotional well-being, resilience, and healthy social development
- Belonging and Social Impact Leads: Foster inclusion, connection, and a strong sense of belonging for all students
- Literacy, Math and Learning Center Specialists: Provide targeted instruction and enrichment to ensure every student excels
- Health Teams: Promote physical health and wellness so students can thrive in and beyond the classroom
- Coaches: Inspire teamwork, discipline, and perseverance through sports, helping students develop a lifelong dedication to healthy habits
- After School Teachers and Club Advisors: Extend learning and creativity through enriching experiences beyond the school day
