The Dalton School is an independent, co-educational day school (K-12), founded in 1919 by the renowned progressive educator Helen Parkhurst.
Parkhurst’s visionary Dalton Plan remains the keystone of the school’s progressive educational philosophy and is now the model for over 200 Dalton schools in other parts of the world.
Dalton is recognized for its rigorous, innovative educational curriculum and offers its 1,300 students a breadth of stimulating and challenging programs taught by our dedicated faculty. Our high academic standards are complemented by an exemplary performing and fine arts curriculum – taught by faculty who are professionals in their fields – and a full range of athletic teams and extra-curricular activities.
The school’s First Program (K-3) occupies three adjoining townhouses on East 91st Street in New York City. Middle and High School students attend classes nearby in our schoolhouse on East 89th Street. Indoor physical education for Middle and High School students is provided in our state-of-the-art facility on East 87th Street.
The Dalton School is committed to providing an excellent education that meets each student’s interests, abilities, and needs and promotes an appreciation for diversity in our community as an integral part of school life. Dalton challenges each student to develop intellectual independence, creativity and curiosity and a sense of responsibility toward others both within the School and in the community at large. Dalton continues to reaffirm the ethical and moral development of its students, and lively discussions focusing on values evolve naturally from our curriculum. Guided by the Dalton Plan, the School well prepares students to “go forth unafraid” not only as academically strong graduates, but also as informed, intuitive, and responsible social citizens.
The Dalton School is committed to providing an education of excellence that meets each student’s interests, abilities and needs within a common curricular framework and reflects and promotes an understanding of, and appreciation for, diversity in our community as an integral part of school life. Dalton challenges each student to develop intellectual independence, creativity and curiosity and a sense of responsibility toward others both within the School and in the community at large. Guided by the Dalton Plan, the School prepares students to “go forth unafraid.”
As a progressive school guided by the Dalton Plan, we are an intentionally diverse community committed to a tradition of life-long learning and educational innovation. The following are major principles that inform the daily learning environment at Dalton:
1. Valuing all dimensions of each child – intellectual, social, emotional, aesthetic, physical and spiritual.
2. Cultivating values of respect, integrity, compassion and justice to encourage community responsibility, combat prejudice and engage students as participants in a democratic society and global community.
3. Developing intellectual independence and risk-taking through inquiry, direct experience and collaboration.
4. Valuing all disciplines – the arts, sciences, humanities and physical development in an interdisciplinary curriculum, mindful of our historical emphasis on music, dance, theater and visual arts.
