Princeton Day School

Princeton Day School, where a robust, rigorous academic and co-curricular experience is crafted each day by the boys and girls, and men and women whose curiosity is great, whose appetites are large, and whose imaginations are unbounded. We are a small school, within which close relationships begin, grow, flourish, and are nurtured and renewed for a lifetime. And yet we are a large school, with offerings broad and deep enough to test the most talented. We are an optimistic school, with an abiding faith in ourselves and our mission. We are a school where it is good to be smart, to strive, to seek, to answer, and to question.

We are a school blessed with tradition, as we trace our roots to the 19th century: from the sturdy threads of our forebears, Miss Fine’s School and Princeton Country Day School, we have knit a rich tapestry of excellence in the education of students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade. We are a school of tomorrow, preparing our students to lead in a world that will demand and require their skill and vision. Yet we are also a school of today, with eyes always fixed on the rich opportunities of the present moment.

Princeton Day School nurtures the mind, the body, and the character of each student. In academics, athletics, the arts, and service, we celebrate the pursuit of individual excellence and the spirit of collaboration that binds us together as a community. We seek diversity of cultures, views, and talents to promote the intellectual growth and moral development of our students.

Our rigorous and broad PreK through 12th grade program is designed for motivated and academically talented students. We emphasize both creative and critical thought and their clear expression. Supported by an exceptional faculty and a cooperative partnership of school and home, our students discover the joy of learning. They explore their interests, cultivate enduring relationships with teachers and peers, take risks, and thrive. Integrity, respect, and compassion are essential to the school's mission. Our students leave Princeton Day School well equipped for college and beyond: prepared to act knowledgeably, to lead thoughtfully, to share generously, and to contribute meaningfully.

The spirit of Princeton Day School is best caught in its common spaces. The libraries, lobbies, and hallways, vibrant with student art, reflect a community of inspired and inspiring learners, as well as an extraordinary tradition of excellence in the visual and performing arts. As students come and go, working in small groups, engaging one another and their teachers in the dialogue that is the essence of learning, they experience a balance of freedom and direction that enables each child to find his or her own pace and pathway to success.

Integrity entails honesty to oneself and others; it also connotes wholeness, of the individual and of the community. We aim to nurture in our students the motivation, self-confidence, and mutual trust to discover their individual and communal strengths of mind, body, and spirit. We seek students of character and promising intellect who are capable of responding to this challenge, and we provide for them an educational atmosphere at once disciplined, playful, and diverse.

We offer students many avenues of self-discovery through academics, athletics, the arts, cultural exchange programs, and student-run activities and clubs. We encourage students to take responsibility for their education and to make learning an enterprise so exhilarating that it spills into gatherings of students in the hallways, casual moments with a coach or teacher, and conversations with parents around the dinner table. As an independent day school, we affirm the importance of the student-teacher-parent triangle. When students, teachers, and parents work together to create a continuity between school and home, the child's journey of self-discovery more fully integrates his or her intellectual, emotional, physical and moral development.

The crossroads of this journey is the classroom, where students share ideas and sharpen their skills under the guidance of a creative and dedicated faculty. As a college preparatory school, we offer rigorous training in core skills of verbal and quantitative reasoning and creative self- expression. We nurture in our students the courage and initiative to apply these skills to problem-solving across the boundaries of traditional academic disciplines.

Our broad and innovative curriculum is complemented by our thorough attention to the individual student and by our commitment to recognizing and supporting differences in learning styles. Through one-on-one contact between students and teachers at all levels, through the support provided by school counselors and a full-time learning specialist, and through strong advising systems in the middle and upper schools, we ensure that every student receives the guidance necessary to acquire core skills and develop his or her unique strengths.

At Princeton Day School, the pursuit of excellence is a cooperative process grounded in respect for others. We nurture respect through stewardship, community service, and the celebration of diversity. A steward is a keeper or caretaker, one who recognizes that his or her own well-being is strengthened by service to others and to the community; we teach this recognition by integrating service activities into our curriculum at all levels. The vitality of a community is enhanced by its diversity, and our commitment to stewardship goes hand in hand with a commitment to cultivating diversity in our student body and faculty. We seek to create an atmosphere that challenges us to open our minds and hearts to others--to understand and celebrate our differences, whatever they may be, and to discover common ground.