Saint Ann’s School

Learning

Inventing number systems, then written feedback

Math is a good place to see the approach. In the Lower School, children study ancient number systems and are encouraged to invent their own.

Ratio and scaling later turn up in maps and architectural drawings in Grades 6 and 7, and Geometry students make conjectures and test them through proof.

Instead of letter or number grades, families get detailed written reports, a choice the school has kept since 1965. The school says grades distract from learning and push students to compete, while written responses to each student’s work show how to improve.

Applying

Applying for Fall 2027

The school says it admits on interviews and a holistic read of each child, not on ISEE scores or past grades alone. It admits new students from Preschool through Grade 10 as vacancies permit, and only occasionally in Grade 11.

The path differs by grade.

Kindergarten: the child must turn 5 by September 1, 2027. One parent attends a group tour, and the child has a one-on-one interview.

The $100 fee can be waived in some cases. If interview hours fill before the deadline, the school stops processing, and later applications join a no-fee wait pool with no guaranteed interview.

The virtual parent conversation is for questions, not an interview of parents.

Grades 1–3, 4, 5, 7 and 8: places open only through attrition. There is no fee, and the school contacts families if an interview becomes possible.

Grade 6 is the active middle-school entry. The student essay and parent questionnaire come with the application, at no fee.

By December 1, send a graded writing sample (Grade 4 work is acceptable if Grade 5 has none yet) and the final 2025–26 report card or comments. Remaining records follow in January, and the test should be taken by mid-December.

Not every candidate is interviewed.

Grade 9: applicants attend a virtual information session, live or recorded. The fee is $100, with waivers available; applications can close early if interview slots fill.

Only the student is interviewed. The rest of the file, including an essay, graded writing, recent reports, teacher evaluations and test results, is due by the January deadline.

Cost

Tuition by grade

Base tuition for 2026–27 rises with grade, and some grades carry a required fee on top.

• Preschool: $58,550
• Kindergarten: $62,000
• Grades 1–3: $62,000, plus a $1,350 lunch fee
• Grades 4–7: $64,500, plus a $1,350 lunch fee
• Grade 8: $64,500, plus a $275 activity fee
• Grades 9–12: $66,400, plus a $475 activity fee

Aid

Financial aid

Aid is based on need. To be considered in your first year, say yes to the aid question on the admission application, then file with Clarity.

Awards arrive with an admission offer, last one year and must be renewed each year. Families that do not apply for aid with the initial admission application wait three years before applying, though the school says it will try to make exceptions for an unforeseen hardship.

Families receiving aid may also qualify for help beyond tuition, such as evaluations, therapies, overnight trips, music lessons or test prep. Those requests are reviewed through the year and depend on need and available funds.

School day

Campus and afternoons

Kindergarten is at 124 Henry Street now. The school says it moves in 2027 to a new building at 142 Pierrepont Street, so confirm where your child will start.

After School runs from 2:35 to 5:30 on school days for Kindergarten through Grade 5 only, not Preschool. Fees for 2026–27 are billed by semester: $1,200 for one day a week, $3,100 for five, or $75 for a drop-in day.

Support

Academic support

Learning specialists work with individual students and small groups on study skills, organization, time management, and reading, writing and math strategies. The High School specialist also coordinates testing accommodations.

Middle and High School students can drop into the Teaching and Learning Center during free periods, including lunch. Ask how often your child would meet with a specialist.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding history

In 2024 the board hired the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton to examine how the school hired and supervised former teacher Winston Nguyen. Its December 2024 findings describe lapses in how he was vetted, supervised and discussed with families.

The firm recommended written hiring procedures, clearer rules on student contact and tutoring, regular training and better communication. We have not verified that each recommendation has been carried out.

The Brooklyn District Attorney announced on March 19, 2025 that Nguyen was sentenced to seven years in prison and ten years of post-release supervision after pleading guilty to charges including use of a child in a sexual performance and endangering the welfare of a child. The office said he posed as a teenager online.

Two families, using pseudonyms, sued Nguyen, the school and administrators in federal court in January 2026. The docket mirror, last retrieved July 27, shows a motion to dismiss briefed and one count dismissed by stipulation, not the whole suit.

No final outcome is verified.

Saint Ann's on extra help, specialists and the K building

Saint Ann's runs without formal grades, so ask how you'd learn your child needs help, how often a specialist would meet them, and where Kindergarten will be.