At Blue School, our mission is to develop and share an inquiry-based approach to education that fosters creativity, promotes academic excellence, nurtures human relationships and inspires a growing passion for learning.

The audacity of our mission is one that requires confidence and courage. For years, our founders, board and faculty have asked "what if?" as the question at the core of our work to build a school that could result in a more sustainable and harmonious world. What if, they asked, a school could speak up rather than down to the intellects of children? What if a school's curriculum could be a facilitation of children's questions and ponderings about the world? What if a school could discover the essence of an educational practice that underpins creativity? What if, freed from the what-has-always-beens of other independent schools, and freed from the standardized testing that has paralyzed our nation's discourse and practice, a school could launch a generation of inventors, artists, and changemakers who would act boldly and courageously in the face of a changing world? 

Blue School is an active player in the critical undertaking to reimagine education. Our children’s future will likely be marked by environmental, economic and civic challenges. We need to transform education now. Scientists and educators know that many of society’s current educational practices actually hamper the development of natural curiosity, innovation, confidence, courage and compassion in children. Blue School believes these are the very qualities our future leaders and citizens need to possess in order to develop a more sustainable and harmonious world. 

The promise of Blue School is to integrate, develop and share an approach to education that launches our next generation of changemakers through their ability to think flexibly, build relationships, work collaboratively, face complexity and act boldly. As Jenny Anderson of The New York Times describes, “...the school has become a kind of national laboratory for integrating cognitive neuroscience and cutting-edge educational theory into curriculum, professional development and school design.” 

Since the school’s inception as a parent-led play group in 2006, we’ve grown the lab school into a full-fledged pre-primary and primary program serving children age 2 through fourth grade, with a fifth grade to be added in 2013. After a five-year journey and multiple temporary locations, this tenacious community found a permanent home for Blue School and relocated in September 2011 to a 33,000-square-foot building at 241 Water Street in Lower Manhattan — a beautiful, light-filled environment that has been uniquely redesigned by Rockwell Group.

Because tuition alone does not cover the cost of a Blue School education, we rely on the generosity of parents, friends and community partners to provide the support necessary to balance the annual operating budget. The near-term financial goals of our current campaign include raising $3 million during the 2012–2014 school years (ending June 2014). These funds will cover the school’s operating expense until all classes are fully populated through fifth grade (with two classes per grade) and the maximum revenue potential is realized. It also ensures enrollment for students who cannot afford tuition by funding the Tuition Assistance Program, and sets the stage for expanding the lab school, codifying Blue School’s educational approach and supporting research. 

Please join us in our effort to give children everywhere the opportunity to develop into compassionate, creative and innovative thinkers equipped with the skills to build a harmonious and sustainable world! 

To make a gift, donate online or contact Don Grace via email or phone: 212 228 6341 x 117.