Staten Island Academy: The Parent Guide for Fall 2027

Teaching and curriculum

The academic arc gets serious without becoming single-track

Kindergarten combines daily reading and writing workshops with numbers beyond 100, measurement, money and geometry. Science, American Sign Language, art, music, physical education and scheduled library time broaden the day.

Grade 6 includes English organized around identity and survival, pre-algebra, life science, ancient civilizations, and Latin. Students also take computing, maker work, arts, music, physical education, health, wellness, and changing electives.

Grade 9 offerings include English focused on coming-of-age, Algebra I or Geometry, physics, world history, computer science, language, arts, and physical education. Placement and prior preparation shape some paths.

Upper School uses an eight-day cycle with 60-minute periods. Classes usually meet six times per cycle, while public speaking, research writing, advising, clubs, and senior service add requirements beyond conventional courses.

The school advertises more than 100 courses overall and currently names 12 Advanced Placement subjects. Another program page gives an annual range of 10 to 14, and Upper School describes AP access for juniors and seniors.

A published menu is not a promise that every course runs or fits every schedule.

This is attractive for a student who wants a recognizable college-prep spine plus room for arts, computer science and travel. It is less reassuring for a family seeking transparent placement gates or guaranteed niche electives.

Ask how many students requested and entered the courses your child cares about, who decides placement, and what happens when a required course collides with an art, team or support period.

Feedback and load

The reporting rhythm is clear; assignment collisions are not

Lower School reports by trimester and schedules parent conferences in December and March. Teachers describe daily observation and assessment rather than a test-led model.

Middle School provides narrative reports in December, March, and June. Student, adviser, and parent conferences occur twice yearly, and the school limits students to one full-period test each day.

Upper School runs two semesters, with narratives in November, April, and June. Families receive portal access and conferences, while midsemester comments focus on new students or notable changes.

As an independent school, the Academy says it need not follow or administer Regents exams. Advanced Placement students may begin course work during the preceding summer.

The school calls the Upper School program tough but does not publish homework ranges, grade distributions, retake rules, late-work policy, AP loads or how departments deconflict long projects. Ask to see an anonymized Grade 6 and Grade 9 assignment calendar from a busy month.

That reveals more than an adjective about rigor.

Support and wellness

PARC may be a differentiator—but “support” needs a service map

The Patrick Academic Resource Center is more specific than the vague learning-support language on many private-school sites. It names students with high cognitive ability and dyslexia, dysgraphia, attention needs or anxiety, and it advertises counseling and Orton-Gillingham-trained specialists.

Its process begins with informal review and may move to formal assessment or outside evaluations. Staff, families, and students then build an individual learning plan and monitor coded services and progress.

Published supports include individual or small-group instruction, reading and math methods, organization, self-advocacy, emotional regulation, motivation, goals, and testing accommodations.

The missing service map is consequential: specialist head count, credentials, caseloads, session frequency, cost, eligibility, missed class time and progress data are not public. Nor does “counseling” establish psychotherapy, psychiatric care or crisis capacity.

A school learning plan is not the same legal instrument as an IDEA IEP or IESP.

NYC-resident private-school families may request equitable special-education services through an IESP. Current NYCPS guidance says a parent notice filed on or after April 1, 2027, applies to 2027–28.

Eligibility, delivery, location, and provider availability remain separate questions. Out-of-state students follow a different federal proportionate-services framework and do not gain a New York IESP merely by attending this school.

Families needing predictable support should use the [NYC learning-differences guide](/nyc-learning-differences-schools-guide/) and obtain a written plan before signing: provider, minutes, group size, schedule, fee, missed instruction, accommodations and the conditions that would lead the school to recommend another setting.

International families

This remains a day school, even when a student lives nearby

The Academy recruits internationally and says international students make up 15% of Upper School. It names a Dean of International Students and an individual adviser for course selection and transition.

The July 2026 admissions explainer says newcomers in Grades 8, 9 and 10 take a year-long ESL course. Those are school claims; the site does not give the number of students behind the percentage or language-proficiency outcomes.

A nearby residence is now marketed through Apex International Education Partners. The school describes adult supervision, secure housing and transportation as needed—but Staten Island Academy is still a day school, and the residence is managed by a separate company.

A residence relationship is not the same thing as a school-run dormitory.

Before applying, ask who issues the I-20, which grades and visa types are accepted, what English testing is required, and whether the regular ISEE rule changes for overseas applicants.

Before contracting for housing, get the separate price, refund terms, rooming model, background-check standard, adult coverage, curfew, medical consent, school-break plan, airport transport, guardianship and complaint path in writing. None is sufficiently detailed on the public page.

The practical test is not whether Manhattan is described as nearby; it is who is legally and operationally responsible at 2:00 a.m., during a hospital visit, or when campus closes. International families should speak separately with the school and the residence operator and compare their answers.

Culture and belonging

Small can feel attentive or socially tight; test both possibilities

The mission frames belonging through meaningful dialogue across difference. A Diversity Committee, formed in 2022, is described as shaping an evolving curriculum and community program.

Upper School affinity and identity groups include GSA, Students of Color at Staten Island Academy, and Jewish Heritage Club. Published clubs demonstrate available structures, not participation quality or student trust.

The federal 2023–24 census reports 354 students, including 29 in Pre-K. Its race and ethnicity table covers the other 325: 224 White, 50 Asian, 26 multiracial, 13 Hispanic and 12 Black students.

These school-reported categories are dated and do not describe economic diversity, identity or belonging.

Niche’s 87 reviews pull in opposite directions. A recent parent praised an older child’s transfer, friendships and individualized attention; a 2024 sophomore called transportation inconvenient and said a small school did not run every desired course every year.

Older reviews include both family-like praise and concerns about cliques or fairness. These are self-selected anecdotes—not prevalence data or findings—but they identify useful pressure points for a visit.

Current demographics, aid by subgroup, retention, disciplinary patterns, climate surveys and substantiated bias complaints are not published. Ask several students—not only ambassadors—who gets known well, how a child changes groups after a friendship rupture, and what happened the last time harmful language was reported.

The school’s public promise deserves current examples.

The day students actually live

Participation is expected, which makes the schedule matter

The school explicitly places academics first and then expects students to participate in sports, arts or activities. In Middle School, clubs can meet during a community block and some team practices use the first physical-education period; games run later.

Upper School advertises more than 25 clubs and says nearly all students take part. That structure can make a small school feel busy and connected rather than sparse.

Every Upper School student and faculty member belongs to one of five cross-grade Houses. Competitions include sports, Jeopardy, decorating, service, attendance and GPA categories.

The system may help a new ninth grader meet older students, but the website cannot show whether House belonging survives beyond scheduled events. Ask a ninth grader which adult and older student they would actually approach on a bad day.

The school publishes advising in Upper School but not adviser loads, meeting frequency or a comparable K–8 relational map. It also does not publish current rules for phones, smartwatches, messaging, social media or generative AI.

Ask for the 2026–27 handbook before enrollment, then ask students whether enforcement is consistent and how families reach a child during the day.

On a visit, follow the unglamorous transitions: arrival to first class, lunch, a support appointment, club or practice, and pickup. A broad menu only becomes a child’s life if time, transport, placement and adult attention let them use it.

Arts, clubs, and sports

The chance to join is persuasive; the ride home is part of access

Arts appear in every grade through visual art, music, theater, and performance. Facilities include a 248-seat theater, two-dimensional and three-dimensional studios, the Art Barn, and dedicated music rooms.

Current schedules show travel across New York City, Long Island and New Jersey. The public pages do not identify cuts, roster caps, playing-time norms, fees, preseason dates or late buses.

A sport is not truly accessible if a child can make the team but the family cannot manage a 7:00 p.m. return across a bridge.

Trips and obligations

Travel is woven into the program, including Grade 9 London

Each Middle School grade takes a curriculum-based overnight trip. Grade 6 spends two nights at Frost Valley YMCA, with no current public fee, opt-out plan, or accommodation details.

Grade 9 includes an orientation overnight and an annual seven-day, six-night London trip. The school says airfare, lodging, and activities are included in tuition.

The public page does not explain passport costs, meals, spending money, trip aid, medical planning, accessibility, supervision ratios, or an alternative for nonparticipants. Ask which portions are required for credit or belonging.

Lower School trips are included in tuition. The general fee disclosure lists other school trips among possible extras, so families beyond Grade 4 should request a grade-specific annual estimate.

Todt Hill campus

Space is a genuine advantage; access details require a walkthrough

The school occupies a 12-acre Todt Hill campus at 715 Todt Hill Road. The student body consolidated there by 1970 after construction began in 1964.

Published facilities include an Early Childhood building, classroom buildings, gym, science and technology spaces, two pools, tennis courts, fields, arts facilities, and a newer Innovation Lab.

In June 2026, the school announced its purchase of adjacent 8 Circle Road for classrooms and programming. The timetable, renovation scope, accessibility, and effect on current operations remain unpublished.

The public pages do not map step-free routes, elevators, accessible restrooms, drop-off congestion, security entrances, or transitions between buildings. Walk the exact daily route with your child’s needs in mind.

Commute and transportation

The Todt Hill campus is an Island advantage, not a citywide convenience

The campus is inland, not beside the ferry or a subway station. The NAIS directory marks transportation as available, but the school publishes no current route, stop, grade, price, vendor, late-bus, or cancellation details.

NYCPS rules may provide yellow-bus service to eligible Kindergarten and Grade 6 students. Nonpublic students must attend in the same borough, meet distance rules, and have a feasible approved route and stop.

Grade 9 students may qualify for a student OMNY card, but not general-education yellow-bus service under the published grade rules. An OMNY card does not solve the last bus connection, the walk up Todt Hill or pickup after an away game.

Staten Island residents may have the shortest geographic path and possible same-borough yellow-bus eligibility. Even so, Todt Hill roads, peak traffic, athletics, and a missed route can create substantial driving.

Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens or Bronx applicants do not meet the same-borough condition for nonpublic yellow-bus service. Test the trip door to door at school-hour traffic, then repeat it for a late practice.

A ferry ride that feels charming on an open house Saturday can become a three-transfer school night.

New York families outside NYC should ask their home district about nonpublic transportation and the April 1 request deadline. State rules use mileage bands, but district implementation and route feasibility still control service.

New Jersey families must verify their own district’s rules and cannot assume NYCPS transportation or IESP eligibility. For every cross-borough family, commute risk belongs beside tuition in the decision model.

Care and family burden

The 7-to-7 promise is valuable—and narrower in Upper School

Campus is open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on official school days. Pre-K through Grade 8 families receive before-school and after-school care without an additional program fee.

After dismissal, children can complete homework or join activities. Families must keep a form on file and submit written plans by 2:30 p.m.; snacks may require purchase.

Upper School students may remain only after checking in with the office, security, a teacher, or a coach. That is not the same staffed Extended Day program offered through Grade 8.

The promise applies on official school days, so it does not answer school breaks, emergency closures or every faculty day. Regular dismissal times, holiday options, dinner, late buses and supervision between an activity and pickup are also unpublished.

Fee-based Adventures and private lessons belong in the family budget.

Material historical record

A Child Victims Act case requires careful, limited framing

A 2023 New York court decision describes a plaintiff’s allegation that a Catholic priest abused him at Staten Island Academy decades earlier. Allegations in a complaint are not findings of fact.

The 2023 order dismissed the Diocese of Bridgeport for lack of personal jurisdiction and declined to reconsider a 2022 dismissal of the Archdiocese of New York. The caption includes Staten Island Academy, and the court said the action was severed and continued against remaining defendants.

It made no merits finding against the school.

The cited public decision does not establish the Academy’s final case status. Families can ask the school for that status and for any resulting safeguarding changes without treating an allegation as proof, a procedural dismissal as exoneration, or an unresolved public record as a finding.

Price and aid

The sticker price omits both 2027 increases and family-specific friction

Current 2026–27 tuition is $40,250 for Kindergarten, $46,600 for Grade 6, and $48,950 for Grade 9. Fall 2027 tuition has not been posted.

At current rates, Kindergarten through Grade 12 totals $583,450 before increases and extras. Grade 6 through Grade 12 totals $335,600, while four Upper School years total $195,800.

Those are static-dollar illustrations, not price quotes. They apply current division rates to future years and exclude tuition growth, transport, lunch, clothing, books, some supplies, trips, events, and Advanced Placement exams.

For Pre-K through Grade 8, tuition includes the Extended Day program; Upper School uses the lighter check-in arrangement described above. Pre-K through Grade 4 trips, books and supplies are included.

The school lists possible charges for other trips, wardrobe, lunch, books, supplies, continuation events and Advanced Placement exams.

Need-based aid begins in Kindergarten. The Clarity application is due December 31 for the following school year; later files are considered first-come, based on remaining funds.

Official aid percentages conflict. The main school homepage says 30% of families receive aid, the admissions homepage says 48%, and a July 2026 school article says 30% received aid in 2024.

The scholarship page says the school awarded more than $2 million in financial aid last year, but gives no recipient count or average grant. Do not combine these figures into a homemade award estimate.

Families still need answers about deposit, withdrawal schedule, tuition insurance, merit and need-based award stacking, fee waivers, and emergency-aid practice. A family cannot assess affordability from the headline grant pool alone.

Fall 2027 entry

Grade 9 looks like the real opening; K and Grade 6 need more proof

Kindergarten is rolling and depends on space. Grade 6 applications close January 29, 2027.

Grade 9 applications close October 30, 2026.

The school actively recruits external Grade 6 and Grade 9 candidates through named merit scholarships. That proves a pathway, but scholarship outreach does not reveal regular seats, award counts or admission odds.

Kindergarten begins a conventional elementary year, but the school also enrolls Pre-K3 and Pre-K4. It publishes no Kindergarten cohort increase or count of continuing Pre-K students.

Middle School begins in Grade 5, not Grade 6. Therefore, Grade 6 is not a documented division expansion point, even though the scholarship creates a visible external door.

Upper School begins in Grade 9. That structural transition and a Grade 9 scholarship support meaningful recruitment, but neither establishes a published expansion cohort.

The best dated clue is the federal 2023–24 school census: it reported 18 students in Kindergarten, 16 in Grade 5, 24 in Grade 6, 27 in Grade 8 and 48 in Grade 9. That cross-sectional snapshot supports the idea that Grade 9 has historically expanded.

It is not a cohort history and cannot predict openings four years later.

The June 2026 purchase of 8 Circle Road may eventually add classrooms and programming, but the announcement assigns no rooms, seats or timetable to these grades. Treat K and Grade 6 as vacancy-dependent until admissions supplies numbers; treat Grade 9 as the strongest opening, not a guarantee.

The [NYC entry-points guide](/nyc-private-school-entry-points/) and [Grade 6 admissions guide](/ultimate-guide-to-nyc-6th-grade-private-school-admissions/) help separate an allowed application from a genuine expansion.

The application

The test is clear; the interview sequence is not

Families apply online and submit school records. The school says every applicant completes an exam or assessment, and a July 2026 explainer says every prospective student receives an interview.

Another current page describes application review before an invitation to proceed with the interview and exam. That sequencing conflicts with the broader interview promise, so families should ask whether every completed applicant advances.

Pre-K through Grade 4 applicants complete an Academy assessment, either on campus or remotely. Grades 5 through 11 must take the ISEE.

The current public pages do not explain assessment tasks, interview length, adult participation, ISEE score ranges, accommodations, decision dates, deposits or waitlist movement. Niche lists a $50 application fee, but the school’s current public application page does not corroborate it; verify the amount in the portal before budgeting.

The school has posted all-school open houses for October 24 and December 9, 2026, plus April 24, 2027; division sessions also appear on October 28 and November 13. Awards and references may supplement a file, but their weight is not published.

Visit early enough that the route and campus can inform whether you finish the application.

Kindergarten

A rolling application with no published seat target

Kindergarten applications are rolling, based on space, rather than governed by a separate Fall 2027 deadline. Aid remains available beginning in Kindergarten.

Kindergarten uses the school’s own assessment, not the ISEE. The current pages do not publish an age cutoff, readiness rubric, group format, parent interview requirement, or notification calendar.

The existing Pre-K program matters. Continuing children may occupy part of Kindergarten, but the school publishes neither their priority nor their continuation rate.

Grade 6

The scholarship is real; the size of the doorway is not public

The William Winter Scholarship accepts applicants entering Grade 6 in September 2027. The application is due January 29; the school-hosted ISEE is January 23 at 9:00 a.m. and costs $170.

Families should confirm whether another ISEE date or a fee waiver is acceptable.

Candidates are reviewed through ISEE results, transcripts, recommendations, school involvement, and a personal interview. Finalists are notified in mid-February, and winners are selected in March.

A November 18 evening open house and three shadow visits are posted: December 11, December 15 and January 12, each from 11:40 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The page says dates fill, so a family pursuing the award should reserve before waiting on every other school.

The page promises a first-year deduction equal to 50% of 2027–28 Grade 6 tuition. Because that tuition is not posted, the dollar value is unknown.

It then says the same dollar amount is deducted during each high-school year, leaving Grades 7 and 8 treatment unclear.

Renewal depends on academics, citizenship and community contribution. The committee decides how many awards to make, but publishes neither the count nor the renewal thresholds.

Admission outside the scholarship process, regular Grade 6 seats and prior yield also remain unclear.

Grade 6 is not the Middle School’s first year. Plan as though openings may be limited until admissions provides a written cohort and vacancy count.

Grade 9

The clearest entry grade comes with the earliest deadline

Grade 9 applications are due October 30, 2026. The school-hosted ISEE is November 21 at 9:00 a.m. and costs $170.

The scholarship page lists six reservable shadow dates as part of the application process: September 28, October 5, 9, 15 and 23, plus November 2; some sessions are morning and some afternoon.

The William Winter review uses ISEE results, transcripts, recommendations, involvement, and a personal interview. Finalists are notified in mid-January, and winners are selected in February 2027.

The first-year scholarship equals 75% of 2027–28 Grade 9 tuition, whose price is not yet posted. At the current $48,950 rate, 75% would equal $36,712.50; that is an illustration, not the actual award.

The same dollar amount continues through high school, so this is not a four-year 75% guarantee.

Renewal remains conditional on academics, citizenship and contribution, without published thresholds. Award count, regular offers, current cohort size, application volume and the number of students new to the school are not public.

Grade 9 begins Upper School, making it structurally more plausible than Grade 6 for broader intake. Still, families need the school’s actual 2027 seat target before calling it an expansion year.