The Calhoun School

Making something original

Start with a podcast about sneakers. A Class of 2026 student made it for Junior Workshop at The Calhoun School, asking what Jordans mean in Black and brown communities.

Every eleventh grader there makes an original project; the goal is creation rather than a summary of what is already known.

Calhoun's Upper West Side campus has two buildings: the Lower School, for 3s through fourth grade, at 325 West 85th Street, and the main building, for fifth through twelfth, at 433 West End Avenue.

Freedom with a frame

Over two mods (Upper School terms), students work in workshop groups with an advisor they choose: developing a concept, working out the research it needs, trading feedback and consulting experts.

Scheduled group critiques follow, where students discuss process and outcome, and finished work is shared with the school community.

From notebooks to internships

The earliest version looks quite different. Lower School describes a Montessori foundation, with mixed-age classrooms from 3s through kindergarten.

In first through third grade, children begin tracking their own work in notebooks and folders, with teachers providing support and accountability.

One caution. An older Open Inquiry page for preschool through third grade is still live and written in the present tense, while the current Lower School pages put Montessori forward.

Ask admissions which classroom model applies to your child's entering grade.

Fourth grade is the bridge. Children begin and end each day in cluster, discussing study skills, alongside core classes in language arts, math, social studies and science.

Middle School classes are small and discussion-based, with project work that crosses subjects.

Upper School divides the year into mods: students take fewer courses at once, each meeting for longer, on a six-day rotation. Every day includes cluster, a student group with one or two advisors, and Community Time for clubs, teacher meetings and Town Meetings.

In the last term of senior year, Senior Work places students at unpaid internship sites three days a week, with two days back at school in a companion course called BRiDGE, which covers topics such as personal finance and workplace communication.

Student support

The student-support page lists a counselor for each division and learning-support coordinators, with learning specialists named in the Lower and Upper Schools. Ask how needs are assessed and what support would look like in your child's grade.

Applying

Applications for 2027–28 are open through the online portal; for 2026–27, the school asks you to email. The fee is $75, and siblings of current students and children of alumni can request a waiver code.

Tours follow an application. Every applicant then visits in person: fifth through twelfth graders are interviewed, parents interview and tour, and Young 3s through fourth graders join an on-campus assessment of social-emotional and academic skills.

Families who have not applied can attend an open house.

Grades 5–12 require recent standardized testing, with the ISEE recommended; the school may consider alternatives, so ask. Required teacher documents vary by grade and appear in your portal checklist.

Decisions and replies follow ISAAGNY dates, set out in Calhoun's application steps. Ask admissions for the current initial application deadline and kindergarten age cutoff.

Tuition

Tuition includes books, required trips and full-day lunch. Budget separately for aftercare, summer and optional trips, $150 Parent Association dues per family, and a one-time enrollment fee up to $1,000 for new families.

Ask what Extended Year includes.

Financial aid

Need-based aid starts at kindergarten; preschool has none. The deadline is December 1, 2026.

An older FAQ limits eligibility to ninth grade while the main text includes twelfth; applicants to Grades 10–12 should confirm eligibility.

Grants are partial, with at least $1,500 paid by the family annually. Families reapply each year; limited funds mean need alone does not guarantee an award.

The policy page bases awards on need, not merit. All parents and guardians, including a stepparent if the custodial parent has remarried, are asked for financial information; separated, divorced or unmarried parents each complete their own Clarity application.

If a non-custodial parent is unavailable, contact the enrollment office about documentation.

Where all children are of school age, if a parent chooses not to work without significant child-care duties, the school assigns an assumed income when calculating aid.

Calhoun's tuition FAQ sets a four-year wait before full-pay families can apply after a financial change. Its separate policy requires a significant, unexpected change and an appeal.

Neither page explains whether hardship can override that wait.

That appeal requires the previous two years' tax returns. For sudden hardship, the committee reviews an appeal ninety days after the event.

Ask how the rules apply before committing to full tuition; an appeal does not guarantee assistance.

After-school care

Calhoun's after-school program is run through Amazing Athletes. Drop-in coverage for 3s through eighth grade runs until 6 p.m. on program days, with or without enrollment in classes, but it must be registered through the provider's portal.

Ask what it costs.

Two public records

Calhoun is a nonprofit, so its tax filing is public. For the fiscal year ending June 2025, the Form 990 reports total revenue of $38,209,445 against expenses of $43,594,506, so expenses exceeded revenue by about $5.39 million.

One filing does not establish solvency or current cash.

The National Labor Relations Board docket for case 02-CA-377021, filed November 24, 2025, still listed the case as open on October 3, 2026. It records two allegations, refusal to recognize and refusal to bargain.

The public docket shows no merits decision and says its activity list is incomplete; an allegation is not a finding, and nothing there speaks to classroom effects.

If either matters to you, a fair question for admissions is how current budget and staffing plans support continuity in your child's division.

Who steps in at Calhoun when projects stall or plans change

Calhoun leans on independent projects, so ask who helps when one stalls and how a support plan follows a child between divisions.