Brearley School

The Brearley School is an American school just for girls. It is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. About 770 girls from kindergarten through 12th grade go to Brearley, with around 55 to 65 students in each grade.

Brearley is part of the New York Interschool Association. It is considered a sister school to the Collegiate School, which is a school for boys, and the Chapin School, another school for girls. The three schools share some after-school activities and classes together.

History

The Brearley School was started by Samuel A. Brearley in 1884. He led the school until 1886. After that, James G. Croswell took over until 1915. Since 1926, women have been the leaders of the school. In December 2011, Jane Foley Fried became the new leader after Stephanie J. Hull left for personal reasons. Fried was the school's 15th leader. In 2025, Jenny Rao took over as the head of the school.

Academics and reputation

The Brearley School’s curriculum is based on the liberal arts, and the school has about 6 students for every teacher. Students can learn languages such as Ancient Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese.

Brearley is known for its strong academic program. It is often described as one of the most competitive private schools in New York City. The school is recognized for helping students get into top universities. For example, in 2002, a magazine called Worth ranked Brearley as the second-best school in the country for sending girls to Harvard, Yale, or Princeton. In 2008, The Wall Street Journal also ranked Brearley highly for getting students into selective colleges. More recently, in 2016, Brearley was ranked third in the nation for sending students to Ivy League schools. By 2025, a website called Niche named Brearley the best girls’ school in the country and the third-best private school overall for students in grades K–12. From 2020 to 2024, Brearley helped 124 students get into Ivy League schools, and about 60–65 girls graduate from Brearley each year.

Student body

In the 2024–25 school year, Brearley had 772 students, and 56% of them identified as people of color.

In the 2021–22 school year, Brearley had 768 students. Of these, 40.1% were white, 21.0% were Asian, 7.6% were Hispanic, 7.0% were Black, and 24.3% were multiracial. The school could not count students in more than one group at that time.

Finances

Tuition for the 2024–25 school year costs $64,100. About 20% of students receive help to pay for school, with the average amount being around $58,552. The school promises that asking for this help will not affect a student’s chance of being accepted.

In August 2024, the school’s savings were about $160 million. For the 2022–23 school year, the school reported having $360.2 million in total resources, with $275.9 million belonging to the school, $181.2 million in investments, and $13.4 million in cash. The school spent $38.7 million on its programs and $7.1 million on helping students pay tuition.

Campus

The Brearley School has been located in a tall building at 610 East 83rd Street since 1929. Before that, the school was in different places around Manhattan.

In 2015, the school decided not to look for a new location. Instead, it made its main building bigger and used three other buildings nearby. In Fall 2019, Brearley opened a new building at 590 East 83rd Street for younger students.

There is a special building called the "Field House" on East 87th Street for sports like track, soccer, basketball, tennis, badminton, volleyball, lacrosse, and field hockey. The school also uses other places for sports, like Randall's Island and Asphalt Green.

Athletics

Brearley has teams for 13 different sports at the varsity level. The school’s colors are red and white, and its mascot is a beaver.

Notable alumnae

Main article: List of Brearley School alumnae

The Brearley School has many famous graduates who have achieved success in different fields. These alumnae include leaders, artists, and thinkers who have made important contributions to society. Their accomplishments show the impact of the school's education on its students.

Affiliated organizations

The Brearley School is part of a few important groups. It belongs to the National Association of Independent Schools, the New York State Association of Independent Schools, and the New York Interschool Association. These groups help schools share ideas and support each other.