Arts and Athletics
Academics by division
A Pre-K–12th Grade progressive school fostering intellectual curiosity, ethical responsibility, and purposeful engagement.
What makes ECFS unique?
Where academic excellence meets ethical learning
Our mission informs our philosophy We challenge our students with an innovative, student-centered program that prepares them to become lifelong passionate learners, critical thinkers, and ethical leaders. Since its founding in 1878, the Ethical Culture Fieldston School (ECFS) has been dedicated to progressive education, nurturing students’ intellectual curiosity and their ethical, virtuous, artistic, and athletic potential. Viewed through an ethical lens, our experiential, hands-on learning compels our community to care for our world, ourselves, and each other. ECFS serves a diverse community of Pre-K–12th Graders across four divisions. Ethical Culture is located in a historic building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, while Fieldston Lower, Fieldston Middle, and Fieldston Upper share an 18-acre campus in the Bronx’s Riverdale neighborhood.
Our commitment to fairness, inclusion, and belonging is rooted in the mission and philosophy of our founder, Felix Adler, who also founded the Society for Ethical Culture. We believe that every student deserves to be known, valued, and challenged. By embracing diverse identities, perspectives, and lived experiences, we create a community where meaningful dialogue, ethical reflection, and intellectual growth flourish. While our mission is enduring, the pursuit of an ethical life continues long after graduation. Our alumni enter the world and lead change, guided by the ideals learned at ECFS.
Academic Excellence
Ethics at ECFS is defined by learning to make choices regarding care for oneself, others, communities, and the world. Our unique program prepares students to understand and uphold these values, emphasizing experiential learning and thoughtful reflection. We value inclusion and belonging, honoring all students for their diverse thoughts, unique backgrounds, and beliefs.
Progressive Education
Our curriculum empowers students to become independent thinkers. Student-centered and discussion-based learning, along with the freedom to make mistakes, are integral to our students’ experiences. Our talented faculty are the cornerstone of our progressive academic program. At every age, our program supports students’ growth as citizens and scholars. What often sets our School apart is our teachers’ dedication to experiential, project-based curricula that challenge students to think critically and turn their ideas into action. Learning at ECFS engages students’ hands and bodies as much as their minds, encouraging them to make, do, and feel.
Belonging
Ensuring that every student feels seen, heard, and valued is integral to our practice, curriculum, and experiences. We embrace a diversity of lived experiences and perspectives as a catalyst for rigorous intellectual engagement and cross-cultural understanding. An inclusive environment is built for students to take risks, be challenged, and be their authentic selves, and we are careful to ensure that each student has the support and resources they need to flourish. Through developmentally appropriate initiatives, we educate students to recognize inequity, develop compassion, and take action as engaged citizens. Fostering an environment where every individual feels connected, accepted, and engaged is at the heart of our School. Building community, recognizing the responsibility each of us has to the whole, and parent/guardian involvement is encouraged.
Arts and Athletics
The exploration of being an ethical and responsible member of society forms the core of our curriculum and community. Learning extends beyond the classroom through service learning and partnerships with more than 40 community organizations, where students connect ethical ideas to meaningful action.
Academics by division
Ethical Learning
What makes ECFS unique?
Academic excellence at ECFS is rooted in inquiry, intellectual rigor, and purposeful learning. Across the humanities, sciences, arts, and physical education, students are challenged to ask meaningful questions, solve complex problems, and communicate their thinking with confidence. Guided by dedicated teachers, our students build knowledge and skills that are intentionally and progressively developed from Pre-K through 12th Grade.
The Global Community Our goal is to facilitate holistic educational experiences that help students understand their place in the interconnected global community. Students learn about social issues, participate in service projects, raise awareness, and use their voices to advocate for change, within the School community and beyond. Our younger students are encouraged to be active members of the global community. While they often focus on local issues, they also engage in projects with a broader perspective. As they grow, opportunities such as semester-away programs, engagement with foreign students, and unique international and domestic travel experiences broaden their perspectives while
Curricular Programming and Spaces
At Fieldston Upper, students may select or create a major within the arts or pursue independent study. Additionally, 11th and 12th Graders take courses fulfilling the unique Adler Requirement, which consists of two semester-long English and History electives focusing on the histories and writings of marginalized people.
Arts and Athletics
• Three libraries serving four divisions • Design studios for engineering, robotics, computer science, and digital arts • Specialized spaces for math, science, woodshop, technology, art, music, and gardening • State-of-the-art spaces with movable walls and audiovisual technology for interdisciplinary programs
This includes mathematics, engineering, robotics, woodshop, Rube Goldberg studies, and science research courses. Engineering classes are available beginning at Fieldston Middle and Fieldston Upper. Students passionate about scientific research may also join the Science Research Program, a two-to-three-year commitment involving summer research internships, laboratory techniques and analysis, and project presentations.
Academics by division
Our physical environment and technological infrastructure are student-centered, enabling rigorous coursework and socialemotional development. Every division and campus has dedicated areas to encourage collaborative, creative, and integrated projects, including:
STEM Programming
Lower Divisions Programming in our Lower Divisions is driven by students’ needs and designed to build strong academic foundations. Students develop agency through hands-on, inquiry-driven experiences that engage their minds, bodies, and imaginations. Daily opportunities for outdoor learning, the arts, innovation, science, world languages, and physical education complement a challenging academic program while encouraging exploration and play. Our Lower Divisions foster a student-centered education, creating opportunities for them to follow their passions, ask questions, and find answers.
Ethical Culture Pre-K–5th Grade
Fieldston Lower Pre-K–5th Grade
Our curriculum emphasizes collaboration, problem-solving, and creativity, combining challenging academics with respect for all perspectives and universal critical thinking. At Ethical Culture, students use Manhattan as their laboratory, taking advantage of the campus’s proximity to Central Park. At Fieldston Lower, teachers utilize the Riverdale campus’s outdoor spaces and surrounding neighborhoods for in-depth studies. Both schools take full advantage of the many opportunities across New York City, the Hudson River, and the tristate area for field trips. These experiences equip students with the skills to learn communally both inside and outside of school.
Middle and Upper Divisions
Fieldston Middle
Fieldston Upper
Drawing inspiration from New York City, Fieldston Middle’s rigorous academic program embraces forward-thinking, diverse practices that respond to the nuances of adolescence. Teachers collaborate to integrate curriculum across subjects, focusing on inclusion, ethics, and fairness. Students further develop critical-thinking skills, social-emotional capacities, and a joy of learning while growing as active community leaders.
Choice is central to a student’s life at Fieldston Upper. Students are encouraged to take intellectual risks and to pursue increasingly specialized interests through interdisciplinary coursework, advanced electives, original research, and experiential learning. Teachers focus on developing the whole student, cultivating leadership, ethical learning, and independent thinking. Student life is enriched through weekly assemblies and daily advisory groups.
6th–8th Grade
9th–12th Grade
Students may also take advanced courses in English, history, math, language, science, and ethics.
Arts and Athletics
Both divisions cultivate a safe, inclusive environment where students can learn from mistakes through responsive teaching, independent projects, and social-emotional learning. Teachers maintain constant dialogue with each other and students, ensuring flexibility and adaptability to meet student needs and concerns.
Academics by division
Fieldston Middle and Fieldston Upper are rooted in progressive, multicultural pedagogies and inquiry-based learning. Student-centered classes focus on mastering concepts and skills through a variety of methods. Students engage in project-based learning, collaboration, research projects, writing, journaling, and discussions. These experiences encourage risk-taking, curiosity, and critical thinking.
Athletics Interscholastic athletics develops physical, mental, and social skills; a positive self-image; and an understanding of teamwork. Our program empowers students, instills self-confidence, and cultivates leaders. We seek to imprint in individual athletes the dedication, discipline, and spirit of personal sacrifice that a successful team depends upon. Making such a commitment nurtures our students’ character and supports the School’s mission. • Over 40 Fieldston Upper sports teams • Over 25 Fieldston Middle sports teams • 7 NYSAIS state championships and 14 league championships since 2019 • 2 athletic fields • 5 gymnasiums • 1 pool
From the earliest music classes in Pre-K to electives in photography, graphic communications, stagecraft, and more at Fieldston Upper, ECFS weaves artistic practice into our students’ education. Our robust arts program emphasizes technical skill and creative expression, developing students who feel confident in their chosen art form. • Over 70 courses in visuals arts, theatre/dance, and music at Fieldston Middle and Fieldston Upper • Electives available in visual arts, graphic communications, theatre/dance, and music at Fieldston Upper • Onstage play and musical performance opportunities • Performing arts center and dance, art, and music studios
Arts and Athletics
Arts
2
Approximately
expansive campuses across
18
acres
1,700 students commute from New York City, lower Westchester, and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut
Approximately
51% of employees hold advanced degrees
ECFS is a
LEADER among peer schools in providing
financial access
Over
80
student clubs available at Fieldston Middle and Fieldston Upper
Among the lowest student to faculty ratios in New York City
15 buildings 2
athletic fields
1
pool
4
performance spaces
1
scene shop
5
gymnasiums
1
weight room
1
yoga room
2
art galleries
12 art classrooms 14 music
classrooms and practice spaces
“
We don’t want to watch from the sidelines — we want to actively participate in the School’s mission and have an impact. — ECFS Parent
Visit us at www.ecfs.org/admissions. Ethical Culture Fieldston School Office of Admissions and Financial Aid 3901 Fieldston Road Bronx, NY 10471 718-329-7575 www.ecfs.org