Hackley School

The curriculum runs from Kindergarten to Grade 12 in three divisions. Small classes, a strong emphasis on character and scholarship, independent research opportunities and global education programmes prepare students for selective colleges, with college counselling in the Upper School.

Hackley challenges students to grow in character, scholarship and accomplishment, to offer unreserved effort and to learn from the varying perspectives and backgrounds in its community and the world, guided by the founding motto 'Enter here to be and find a friend'.

The developed 80 acres of campus include a new Lower School, Middle School and Science Building, the Walter C. Johnson Center for Health and Wellness and, since 2024, the Allen Center for the Creative Arts and Technology, alongside historic buildings dating from 1899. More than 200 further acres are given over to athletic fields and the Hackley Forest, with trails, camping platforms, outdoor classrooms, an orchard and an apiary.

Families have access to need-based financial aid and Head of School scholarships, college counselling, health and wellness programmes and school transport information for getting to the Tarrytown campus.

Hackley offers a five-day boarding programme for Upper School students, who live on campus from Sunday evening to Friday and return home at weekends, combining the life of a day school with the independence of boarding.

Hackley's Student Support Services bring together licensed mental health clinicians and learning specialists who work with teachers, advisors, deans and parents. In the Lower School a full-time literacy specialist strengthens reading and language skills with individual pupils and small groups. Middle School students can receive teaching in study skills, help with executive functioning, time management and organisation, and individual or small-group sessions to build academic confidence. In the Upper School the emphasis shifts to individualised support for executive functioning and self-awareness, identifying academic strengths, developing effective learning strategies and learning to advocate for oneself. The school states that it is committed to equal access to its programmes for students with documented disabilities, with Support Services overseeing accommodations, and clinicians also offer individual and small-group counselling.

Students take part in the arts, a full interscholastic athletics programme and outdoor education in the Hackley Forest, where trails, camping platforms and outdoor classrooms are used across all divisions. Global education trips and community programmes such as Hudson Scholars broaden their horizons.