Four years that will prepare students for the world
Educating the mind and heart is an act of exploration, and the Upper School builds a never-ending desire to learn. At Nightingale, girls plumb the depths of their abilities to develop the best versions of themselves. Their final years in the Schoolhouse allow them to exhibit and solidify their passions and purposes, and to do so with intellectual integrity and empathy.
Though each student’s path is unique, Upper School students are marked by their compassion, independence, and curiosity. They relish their roles as open-minded participants of their classes, communities, and the world.
By the end of their journey at Nightingale, these young women have deepened their friendships, strengthened their voices, and stretched their limits. As true explorers of the academic and the creative, our graduates are poised to become great stewards of their futures.
Upper School Highlights
Worlds to Explore
A trip to London for the entire Class IX is the capstone of months of study linking literature, history, science, and art. This trip is the first of many study abroad options offered throughout Upper School. Each student who studies a modern language has the opportunity to travel to a country where the language is spoken and experience the culture first-hand. With this focus on global education, students leave Nightingale as citizens of the world.
Students travel to countries where the language they study is spoken and experience the culture first-hand.
No Limits
Nightingale’s Independent Study Program empowers girls to pursue their unique passions without limits. Under the close guidance of a faculty mentor, seniors research and report during the spring semester on a topic of their choosing. Past projects include The Future of Urban Agriculture and Feminism in the Persian Gulf. The program is a college-level experience that brings seniors with an immense sense of personal achievement.
Nightingale’s Independent Study Program empowers the pursuit of passions without limits.
Making Positive Change
Going Beyond Barriers takes Nightingale’s mission into practice. Over four years, students reflect on social issues, their roles in the community, and how they can make positive changes. They identify leadership behaviors and hone communication skills through public speaking. The sequence culminates by pondering life’s essential questions through a multitude of lenses and educating minds and hearts in a way only Nightingale can do.
Going Beyond Barriers puts Nightingale’s mission into practice.
Years at a Glance
Equal parts of mind and heart
Upper School is a unique place where every student finds her voice while being supported by a community that values her.
Class IX
Class IX begins the year with an introduction to the many opportunities in the Upper School: peer mentoring, group advisory meetings, a year-long course on the foundations of web development, their first Beyond Barriers class, Breaking Barriers: Women in History and Society, and a trip to London are all part of the distinctive Nightingale Class IX experience. The class expands this year, and new friendships take hold. While enrolling in an expansive and interdisciplinary curriculum, students enjoy increasingly in-depth academic exploration, as well as participation in clubs and competitive team sports, all while forming meaningful Upper School relationships.
Class X
Class X cultivates a mature sense of purpose regarding school life. Community engagement requires participating in one cross-divisional event each year. Students receive a one-on-one advisor who will see them through Upper School. This year, students take Mr. Burke’s Beyond Barriers leadership class, field trips, and courses in arts and digital design. Class X students are eligible to apply to the Independent Science Research Project, the STEM or Global Scholars programs, in addition to semester away programs. There are many ways for the students to deepen their specific interests.
Class XI
Class XI students begin to personalize their learning experience through electives, internships, and field studies. Every Class XI student takes Beyond Barriers: Public Speaking as they gain confidence in promoting themselves and they will put this to work in the spring as they begin the college process. In conjunction with a formal program designed to help students find internships, students learn to write resumes and cover letters as they prepare to present themselves to the larger world. Class XI students advance their ideas, take more profound initiatives, and realize new levels of intellectual interest.
Class XII
Nightingale’s seniors take the lead in all community activities, heading up the major student-led clubs, boards, and leadership positions. Every senior continues their exploration of life outside of Nightingale as they fully embark on an individualized college process under the guidance of the college office. As students take ownership of their emerging areas of expertise, they complete their last Beyond Barriers sequence with Financial Literacy. The Senior Capstone Colloquium is the culminating senior experience as it celebrates scholarship, inquiry, and the powerful voice of our students through their project. To align with our commitment to promoting health and wellbeing, students also take Health and Personal Wellness courses in their senior year. Class XII students leave the blue doors as self-actualized scholars, leaders, and agents of change.
Programs & Curriculum
- STEM
Using Census data to recount the history of a city block, investigating issues of public health, including bioterrorism and novel diseases, or diving into number theory and foundational mathematics, Nightingale’s STEM program positions students to conduct scientific research for real-world achievement.
- Humanities
Nightingale’s broad world language offerings include Latin, French, Spanish, and Mandarin. English classes balance the traditional with the contemporary. Lectures, including Pulitzer winners and poet laureates, make the Creative Writing Program a stand-out.
- Global Education
Global in both perspective and scope, an Upper School education at Nightingale can include studying Mandarin in China, music lessons and Spanish conversation in Bogotá, or a choral exchange in South Africa.
- Leadership Development
Through formal public speaking, conflict resolution training, lectures from powerful female role models, meaningful community engagements, and debate competitions, the Upper School students find countless practical and scholarly ways to express their leadership.
- Library
The Upper School library program supports students by sharpening foundational research skills and fostering a lifelong appreciation of literature. Students become more creative and agile thinkers as they navigate an incredible wealth of source materials.
- Student Life
Student-run clubs, from Chocuzzle (eating chocolate and doing puzzles) to Step Up (activism), give students ways to flex their passions and explore. Award-winning student publications create space for self-expression. Sitting on school boards, from Arts to Inclusivity, allows students to be leaders among their peers.
- Athletics
Recognizing the physical, emotional, and social value of athletics and team sports, Nightingale offers a wide-ranging program of competitive teams for our students at the JV and Varsity levels during fall, winter, and spring seasons.
- Performing Arts
The Nightingale Dance Collective, the fall drama production, the spring musical, and the outstanding choral program all give Upper School students ample opportunities to be seen and heard through the thrills of live performance.
- Visual Arts
A mix of art history and studio classes helps Nightingale’s visual artists connect with their subject matter. Access to New York’s unparalleled art scene serves to extend the classroom to world-class museums and galleries.
- College Counseling
College preparation begins in earnest in junior year, affording students and families expert counseling during the process. Nightingale’s internship program also offers Upper School students pre-college experience, placing them in organizations, businesses, and labs throughout the city.
