Trinity School

Learning at Trinity: starting with the beetles

In Trinity’s kindergarten science curriculum, children investigate life in the soil. Bess beetles take strength tests and climb ramps with different textures, while the children devise questions, make predictions, and explain what they see.

Trinity is a coeducational independent school on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, serving kindergarten through grade 12.

Kindergarten writing is allowed to look different from child to child: a picture that tells a story, or letters, partial words, or full words, depending on readiness. Letter formation follows Wilson Fundations, which continues through third grade.

Middle school: from noticing to arguing

Observation returns in middle school English. Fifth grade asks “What do you notice?”, sixth grade turns those observations into interpretations, seventh asks for a written argument, and eighth asks for an original idea.

Math offers regular and honors versions in seventh grade and Algebra I. Ask how placement and support work together in your child’s grade.

One learning-support course described by Trinity replaces a modern-language class, with the principal’s permission. Specialists work with groups of usually five or fewer on reading, writing, study skills, and math where needed.

Upper school science: a research option

In upper school science, Advanced Science Research: Entomology puts students on a research team, with lab meetings, a journal club, and public presentations of their own projects. It requires the department head’s permission, counts for two credits, and fits only in a five-course load.

Which doors are open

Kindergarten is an entry year for children who turn five by September 1. Applying does not guarantee a tour or interview: Trinity has a limited number of visit spaces, whenever you apply.

The $75 fee is refunded if the application is not processed and waived for aid applicants. Visits pair a parent interview with a child session.

A separate classroom observation happens at the current school or on a Saturday; that observation can be waived for families applying from far away.

In grades 1–4, space opens only through attrition, so visits are not automatic, and aid is often earmarked for kindergarten and grade 9, though some years some is available.

Grade 9 is the main expansion point, with about 60 new students. Grades 5–7, 10, and 11 admit only through attrition, and there is no entry to grades 8 or 12.

Grade 9 applicants take the ISEE or SSAT between August and December and visit campus for a conversation, a group activity, and a writing exercise.

For grades 5–7, 10, and 11, a complete file is what counts if a seat opens; grades 5–7 use the ISEE, and grades 10 and 11 submit standardized test scores. Any visit would come in late winter or spring.

Trinity does not sponsor student visas. Students must live full-time with a parent or legal guardian within commuting distance, and applicants need full English proficiency.

Dates at a glance

For fall 2027 entry.

Cost and financial aid

Aid is need-based and limited by budget; every family contributes something. Request it on the initial application; without that request you cannot apply for the first two academic years, unless finances change suddenly and significantly.

Applicants who do not qualify may reapply next year, and awards are reviewed annually.

Both households file when parents live apart, with a waiver if one parent’s information is unavailable. A non-working parent may be assigned minimum-wage income once the youngest child completes sixth grade.

For aid families, the school works to underwrite essential extras.

Chapel and the hours after class

Chapel meets weekly, rooted in Trinity’s Episcopal heritage and open to students of many religious and philosophical backgrounds. Students take part by reading, playing music, and speaking, and sample programs include a Diwali observance and a blessing of stuffed animals.

Trinity After School is a K–6 program with classes from 3:30 to 4:30 PM; Fall 2026 offerings include LEGO robotics, mock trial, and chess. Kids Club runs 3:00–5:45 PM on regular school days, so check conference days and breaks.

Private music lessons are open K–12.

Free DOE buses cover certain Manhattan sections, a private downtown route costs extra, and no routes leave Manhattan.

Honors math, research courses and aid costs at Trinity

Ask how seventh-grade math placement works, whether research electives will still run, and which trips and supplies count as essential costs for aid families.