Saint David’s boys reside in neighborhoods located throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The school community includes boys and faculty that reflect the cultural, racial, socioeconomic, and religious diversity of the city. Learning from other traditions, creeds, and ways of life supports the boys development as open-minded, respectful, and inclusive citizens. Thirty percent of our boys self-identify as a person of color.
Chapel is a daily ten-minute ungraded period during which a rotation of teachers, coaches, alumni, and the Headmaster share pearls of wisdom. Those who give Chapel talks are never assigned a topic. Instead, they carefully consider the age of the boys in the room and provide a relatable experience or vignette that will help the boys navigate life with strength, courage, and integrity.
The sharing of personal experiences during Chapel deepens boys’ relationships with their teachers, coaches, and Headmaster, as the speakers talk about their own childhood – including triumphs, failures, fears, and regrets. This allows the boys to learn from their experiences and avoid potential pitfalls. The relatable nature makes the talks memorable and impactful - helping boys appreciate that we are all human and are all working to become a better version of ourselves.
Saint David’s boys also deliver Chapel talks in the spring of their seventh grade year. Boys pay tribute to a historical figure, a revered role model, or family member who has contributed to humanity in a meaningful way. They connect their own budding experiences to that of their subject and share aspirations for emulating the sense of purpose, kindness, empathy, courage, resilience, or generosity of spirit that they admire in that person.
Chapel opens and closes with a hymn. Recitation of The Lord’s Prayer is optional.
Saint David’s School is open from 7:45 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Supervision and library access are available before and after school during regular school hours beginning in Kindergarten.
Early morning care is available from 7:45 a.m. - 8:00 a.m., beginning in Pre-Kindergarten.
Regular school hours are as follows: Pre-Kindergarten: 8:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Optional Extended Day dismisses at 2:30 p.m.) Kindergarten: 8:15 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Grades One through Eight: 8:15 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Boys may enter the building at 7:45 a.m. Pre-Kindergartners must have a parent or caregiver remain with them until the classroom door opens at 8:15 a.m.
Saint David’s After School Program offers a variety of options that run through 5:30 p.m. Upper School boys may opt for quiet study time in the library until 5:30 p.m. at no charge. Extended Care from 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. is available at a nominal fee.
Eleven percent of Saint David’s boys receive tuition assistance. Financial aid grants provide partial funding for tuition as well as After School programming, school trips, community events, and other school-related expenditures.
Saint David’s school-wide Spanish program begins in Pre-Kindergarten. Boys participate in immersive Spanish classes three to five times a week. During the summer after Seventh Grade, they may opt to participate in a two-week Spanish language and culture Study Tour in Salamanca, Spain. French is offered as an alternative to Spanish in Grades Six through Eight. All boys take Latin in Grades Five and Six and most continue Latin as an elective in Grades Seven and Eight.
Boys have the opportunity to join the First Orchestra (Grades One through Three), the Philharmonic Ensemble (Grades Four through Eight), the Lower School and Upper School Percussion Ensembles, and the Chamber Singers. The Music Department at Saint David's also offers private music lessons in violin, viola, cello, bass, trumpet, saxophone, piano, and percussion on premises.
First Choir is open to all boys in Grades 2 and 3. Choristers will develop healthy vocal production through exploration of traditional choral, folk, musical theater and popular music repertoire. In addition to musical development, there is a strong emphasis on the building of a community of singers. The First Choir performs for the Lower School in both the winter and spring, and collaborates with the Chamber Singers for special performances.
Boys participate in several curriculum-related musical presentations for parents in Grades One through Six at Saint David’s, including full-scale musicals in the Fifth and Sixth Grades. Boys in Fourth and Fifth Grades also perform for parents several times a year on string instruments, handbells, percussion, and singing. In addition, Saint David’s boys and girls from the Marymount School in Grades Seven and Eight may sign up to collaborate in a Theatre Arts class in the spring, which culminates in a performance in the spring for parents.
Students in our Philharmonic Ensemble collaborate with girls from the Spence school and the Nightingale-Bamford school, and our Chamber Singers work with girls from Nightingale-Bamford. Our orchestra will also perform in Carnegie Hall in January of 2024.
Alpha is a pre-primary program designed specifically for "Young Fives" (boys who narrowly make the September 1 birthday cut off). The Alpha curriculum promotes appropriate academic challenge in a classroom environment that is nuanced for the social and emotional needs of young Kindergarten boys While the majority of Alpha boys typically matriculate into Omega, parents may explore Grade One as a placement option for the subsequent year.
Omega is a pre-primary program designed specifically for boys who turn Six during the late spring and summer months. Omega allows younger boys the opportunity to continue moving apace with core academics while furthering social and emotional development prior to their entry into Grade One. The confidence that emerges during this seminal year markedly enhances the entire Saint David's experience, while ultimately ensuring that all boys are ready for the transition into secondary school. As such, the Omega program eliminates the need for a Ninth Grade.
Omega enrollment is typically comprised of a combination of:
- Boys matriculating from Alpha
- Saint David's Kindergartners with late spring birthdays
- Boys with late spring and summer birthdays who remained in preschool for an additional year
There is no curricular repetition for boys who enroll in Omega from Saint David's Alpha or Kindergarten program. Boys who enroll in Omega are often well positioned academically.
ERB Testing
Applicants to Grades Two through Seven must be tested by the Educational Records Bureau. Please request that results be sent to Saint David's School. Applicants to Grades Two through Four take the ISEE Primary; applicants to Grades Five and Six take the Lower Level Exam; and applicants to Grade Seven take the Upper Level exam. Saint David's School does not accept ERB results for applicants to Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, or Grade One.
Transcript Request
An official transcript from your son's school is required to complete his application file. Please sign the Transcript Request form and forward it to his current school. All information should be sent directly from the current school to: admissions@saintdavids.org by January 8.
Form for Applicants to 3 and 4 Year Old Groups
Form for Applicants to K and Grade 1
Form for Applicants to Grades 2-5
Form for Applicants to Middle School
Saint David's admissions office is committed to providing current and alumni families our highest level of attention. However, we strongly encourage parents of sibling and legacy applicants to fully investigate a wide array of schools. Saint David's siblings and sons of alumni have the option of applying for Early Decision notification per guidelines set forth by The Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York ( www.isaagny.org). Families applying for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten who wish to participate will receive an admissions decision approximately one month in advance of the Regular Decision notification dates. The range of possible admissions decisions for Early Decision participants shall include acceptance, denial or deferral to the Regular Decision pool. In the event that an applicant is accepted through the Early Decision Notification process and would like to enroll their son at Saint David's School, they will be required to reply with a signed contract and deposit by specified reply dates. If eligible, families may opt for Early Decision notification at multiple schools. Sibling and alumni parents seeking financial aid will be notified of their grant at the time of acceptance.