Portledge School

“Portledge School offers a competitive college preparatory program in a warm, inclusive community. Students are inspired to realize their individual potential by developing the critical thinking skills and moral courage necessary for lifelong learning in an increasingly complex world.”

Over our fifty year history, Portledge School has gone from strength to strength by increasing enrollment, attracting top level faculty, and welcoming engaged and productive students. We take the responsibility that you, as parents, place in us to help nurture your children academically, emotionally, and morally very seriously. You want the best for your children, and that is what Portledge School offers.

Here at Portledge School there are many treasures to be found; from our beautiful 63 acre campus to the wide variety of educational opportunities offered to our students; from our diverse Portledge community to our consistently top ranked sports teams; from our successful application to be an accredited International Baccalaureate World School to our approach to 21st century learning; from our Reggio Emilia early childhood program to the dedication of the faculty and staff to our students. All aspects of Portledge School make it a treasure within itself.

Portledge School offers a competitive college preparatory program in a warm, inclusive community. Students are inspired to realize their individual potential by developing the critical thinking skills and moral courage necessary for lifelong learning in an increasingly complex world. Portledge School defines Moral Courage as: Acting with Kindness, Honor, Purpose, and Respect while recognizing such actions may not be easy.

Portledge School is an independent, pre-nursery through twelfth grade preparatory day school. The school’s coordinated sequential programs, beginning with the Reggio Emilia program in Early Childhood, provide a rigorous academic environment, preparing students to live responsible and productive lives. Dedicated teachers use small class size to deliver knowledge based on inquiry and inspired by a student-centered learning approach. Individual talents are nurtured through the arts, athletics, and a variety of community and travel programs that all emphasize the Portledge Pillars of kindness, purpose, honor, and respect.

As Portledge citizens, the four pillars of Kindness, Purpose, Honor and Respect guide daily life. These pillars support our mission statement which references explicitly moral courage, inclusion and realizing one's potential. They are the core of character development here and guide the programs in place outside the classroom. These fundamental values are designed to help students reflect on their inner self, better relate to others and how they understand and interact with the larger world.

Multidimensional describes the people of Portledge as well. The faculty at Portledge serve as teachers, coaches, mentors, and partners in education with the students, helping them grow to be people of character. But it is the students themselves who best represent this concept. The Portledge student body is diverse in the students’ cultural background, geography, interests, talents, and abilities. Yet the student body is unified under a common theme: their love for Portledge. The students here are happy! This joy of school generates spirit and energy, creating a culture of involvement and participation and results in a school environment where all feel welcome.

Finally, there is our campus, the place our students often refer to as “home.” Our 63-acre campus, located on the North Shore of Nassau County, provides us a multidimensional space for the early childhood to take nature walks, serves as a source of inspiration for our artists, is the home to some of the best natural athletic fields in the metropolitan area for our athletes, and is a safe environment where full attention can be on learning and growing.

Portledge is a small community that offers a welcoming and stimulating environment for all students. A Portledge education fosters critical thinking skills, the development of intellectual courage, and a lifelong love of learning - the hallmarks of a truly educated person. A rigourous academic program is offered through small classes with individualized attention. Students are well prepared for admission to highly selective colleges and universities. The rigorous academic program is balanced with competitive athletics, music, visual art, theater, and a wide range of out-of-classroom experiences.