Allen-Stevenson School

Last updated

Allen-Stevenson School
Location
Allen-Stevenson School
132 East 78th Street

New York City
,
New York
10075

United States
Coordinates 40°46′27.4″N73°57′35.4″W / 40.774278°N 73.959833°W / 40.774278; -73.959833
Information
TypePrivate Elementary for Boys
MottoFortiter et Recte (Strongly and Rightly)
Established1883
Head of schoolDuncan Lyon
GradesKindergarten to 8th grade
Number of students410 (2020)
CampusUrban
Colors   Blue and Gold
MascotThe Unicorn
Rival Buckley
Website Allen-Stevenson.org

The Allen-Stevenson School is a private boys school for kindergarten through 8th grade located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It opened in 1883 and has been as its present location since 1924. The school has two divisions: Lower Division (K-4) and Upper Division (5-8) with a student body of approximately 389 pupils. [1] The head of school is Duncan Lyon, the fifth head to be appointed since the school's founding.

Contents

History

The Allen School was founded in 1883 by Francis Bellows Allen at a home on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. Its first class enrolled only three boys. In 1885, the school moved to rented rooms at Madison Avenue and 44th Street with an enrollment of 20 boys. In 1904, Mr. Allen met Robert Alston Stevenson, a tutor, who by chance had taken a room at 509 Fifth Avenue, where the School was then located. In 1904, Mr. Allen and Mr. Stevenson joined forces and then moved to 50 East 57th Street with 100 students. By 1918 enrollment exceeded 200. The School published its first newspaper, The Spotlight, and introduced an exercise program and team sports.

In 1924, the School purchased two brownstones for a new schoolhouse and moved to its present location on the Upper East Side. In 1939, Mr. Allen retired at the age of 80, after 56 years of service. In 1947, Mr. Stevenson retired after 43 years of service. His son, Robert "Huck" Alston Stevenson Jr., who had taught at the School, succeeded him as Headmaster.

In 1950, Joseph C. Rennard became Headmaster of Allen-Stevenson and served for nine years. The School introduced team sports at Randall's Island and required boys to wear navy blue blazers and gray flannel pants. In 1959, Henry Dyer Tiffany Jr. became Headmaster until 1974. Under his leadership, a modern science lab and a paneled library, a gift from the Bell family, were added.

Allen-Stevenson's school song was composed by Rolande Maxwell Young in 1968, the year she joined the A-S faculty as a lower-school music teacher. [2]

In 1974, Desmond Cole (previously the head of UNIS) became Headmaster and served in that capacity for 16 years. [3] During his tenure, he created the Middle School division.

In 1983, The Allen-Stevenson School celebrated its first 100 years and published The Allen-Stevenson Centennial Album. Around that time an East 77th Street addition, designed by A-S parent Alfredo De Vido, was built onto the school.

In 1990, the Board of Trustees appointed David Trower as Allen-Stevenson's seventh Headmaster. In 2001, Allen-Stevenson launched its first website to improve communication about the School.

In 2007, a total renovation-expansion of the school interior was completed, which preserved the school's Classical Revival brick and Victorian brownstone facades according to New York Landmarks Preservation Commission guidelines for the Upper East Side Historic District.

In 2008, the school completed a year-long celebration of its 125th anniversary. The Board of Trustees approved Allen-Stevenson and Its Community, a policy statement about inclusion and community life.

In 2009, Allen-Stevenson was twice recognized for its work on energy and the environment, first with a coveted Energy Star rating by the U.S. Department of Energy, and then by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for LEED Gold Certification for Existing Buildings (EB). This made Allen-Stevenson the very first elementary school in the United States to achieve LEED-EB Gold status. [4]

In 2015, Allen-Stevenson filed an application to New York City's Board of Standards and Appeals to build two new buildings behind the facades of existing brownstones for expansion of classroom, arts and athletics space, and cap them with an 18-foot rooftop greenhouse. [5]

Admissions

Allen-Stevenson has a highly selective admissions process. A financial aid program ensures that the boys remain heterogeneous; as with many of its peer NYC schools. [6] The school is private, functioning under a New York City non-profit statute. [7] The school is governed by a board of trustees and administered by a head of school.

Academics

The school is divided into two schools that serve boys from TK (transitional kindergarten) through 8th grade. It has a rigorous academic curriculum and Allen-Stevenson boys attend top-rated high schools including: Collegiate School, Dwight-Englewood School, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Hackley School, Horace Mann School, Regis High School, Riverdale Country School, Trinity School, and boarding schools Choate Rosemary Hall, Kent School, The Taft School, The Lawrenceville School, The Putney School, Phillips Academy Andover, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Deerfield Academy. [8]

Lower Division

The Lower School consists of TK (transitional kindergarten) through fourth grades. Curriculum includes:

Specialty classes include:

Upper Division

The Upper school consists of fifth through 8th grades. Upper school curriculum: [9] expands upon the foundations from the Lower School:

Specialty classes

Education Technology

Allen-Stevenson’s EdTech team, including Sarah Kresberg, Director of Library Services, and Ainsley Messina, Technology Integrator, has been at the forefront of exploring positive uses of AI in schools. The team recently presented, "Making the Machine Less Scary - Introducing AI to your School Community," at ISTE. Messina was also included in Dan Fitzpatrick’s book, "Back-To-School AI Guide 2024/25: 46 Steps & Tools For Educators Exploring Artificial Intelligence." [10] [11]

Athletics

Programs

Allen-Stevenson has a competitive sports program for boys with eight interscholastic sports: cross country, soccer, flag football, basketball, wrestling, track, lacrosse, and baseball. The school includes both a varsity program for seasoned athletes and no-cut junior varsity teams. [12] Allen-Stevenson offers a basketball summer camp for grades 4-8.

Accolades

Allen-Stevenson's basketball teams have achieved championship status, with the Varsity team winning the Manhattan Private Middle School League (MPMSL) Championship in the 2022-2023 season. In 2024, both the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams were league champions in the 2024-2025 season. The school's athletics program has a lengthy history, with 42 total league championships across all sports. [13]

Arts

Allen-Stevenson offers art, shop, music and theatre programs for grades K-8. These include Art and Shop, Orchestra, Chorus, and Technical Theatre programs. A key part of their theater program, is the annual Gilbert and Sullivan musical performed by members of the sixth through ninth grades. The musical in question is alternated, and potential options include: H.M.S. Pinafore, Iolanthe, and Pirates of Penzance.

Headmasters

  1. Francis Bellows Allen (d. November 3, 1952) - 1883–1939, joins with Mr. Stevenson in 1904
  2. Robert Alston Stevenson - 1904–1947, becomes full-time Headmaster after Mr. Allen leaves in 1939
  3. Robert "Huck" Alston Stevenson Jr. - 1947–1949, son of Robert A. Stevenson Sr., takes over when his father retires after 43 years.
  4. From 1949 to 1950, Cesidio Ruel Simboli Ph.D. fills in as acting Headmaster while another one is being selected. He appears as "Acting Headmaster" in the 1950 yearbook.
  5. Joseph C. Rennard - 1950–1959, introduces navy blazers and gray flannel pants.
  6. Henry Dyer Tiffany Jr. (b. 1910, d. 1994) - 1959–1974, adds modern science lab and the paneled Bell Library to the school. [14]
  7. Desmond Francis Patrick Cole (b. 1924, d. 2008) - 1974–1990, expands the science program, introduces micro-computers, and creates the Middle School division. [15] [16]
  8. David Ross Trower - 1990–2022, appointed by the board of trustees.
  9. Duncan Lyon - 2022–present

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

Allen-Stevenson in the news

Affiliated organizations

Sources: [32] [33] [34] [35]

References

  1. ↑ "The Allen-Stevenson School," US News, 2025.
  2. ↑ Noble, Clifton Jr. "Remembering Rolande and Robelyn Schrade," The Republican, February 2, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Desmond Cole: Obituary." The New York Times, January 13, 2008.
  4. ↑ Stein, Harris, and William Jose Higgins. "The Allen-Stevenson School is the First Elementary School in the U.S. to Receive LEED Gold Award for Existing Buildings." Building Energy Performance Assessment News, January 2010.
  5. ↑ Chen, Jackson. "Private School's Proposed Rooftop Greenhouse Lightning Rod for UES Critics." Manhattan Express, December 3, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Admissions". Niche. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Allen Stevenson School". ProPublica. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Where Our Graduates Go". Allen Steveson. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Middle School for Boys". The Browning School. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  10. ↑ "ISTELive 25: Strategies to Disarm Fears Over Implementing AI". Gov Tech. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Back-To-School AI Guide 2024/25: 46 Steps & Tools For Educators Exploring Artificial Intelligence by Dan FitzPatrick". Goodreads. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Athletics Overview". The Allen-Stevenson School. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  13. ↑ "25th Athletics Overview". Allen-Stevenson. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
  14. ↑ Henry Dyer Tiffany Jr., Headmaster, 84 - New York Times
  15. ↑ LifeQuarters.com: Websites for Any Occasion
  16. ↑ Paid Notice - Deaths
    COLE, DESMOND - Paid Death Notice - NYTimes.com
  17. ↑ Obituary for Stanley D. Gauger, ObitTree
  18. ↑ "Allen-Stevenson School". ProPublica . May 9, 2013. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Donald Judd." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Farmington Hills, Mich.: The Gale Group, 2004.
  20. ↑ "Paul Kellogg to retire as New York City Opera's General and Artistic Director at the end of the 2006-07 Season," Opera Today, September 15, 2005.
  21. ↑ "Julia Kunin," Seven Sisters,
  22. ↑ Noble, Clifton Jr. "Remembering Rolande and Robelyn Schrade," The Republican, February 2, 2015.
  23. ↑ GYMNASTICS BY SCHOOLBOYS - Lads of Allen-Stevenson School Show Proficiency - Talk by Dr. Anderson. - View Article - NYTimes.com
  24. ↑ BOYS, 8 TO 15, BOX IN SCHOOL BOUTS - Youngsters of Allen-Stevenson "Prep" Decide Honors at Irish-American Club. - View Article - NYTimes.com
  25. ↑ Keep a Stiff Upper Lip, Chaps - Article - NYTimes.com
  26. ↑ Rimer, Sara. "An 80-boy New York Symphony Makes a Rainy Washington Debut," The New York Times, May 30, 1984
  27. ↑ First Night Out: Kinds of Kids : The New Yorker
  28. ↑ Dunlap, David W. "School's Plan for an Annex Stirs a Dispute on East Side." The New York Times, April 20, 1987.
  29. ↑ Parents Protest End of Standardized Testing at Private School – New York Times
  30. ↑ Tuition Hits $26,000, and in Private School New York, That's Just for Kindergarten - New York Times
  31. ↑ Worrell, Georgia (January 15, 2023). "NYC doctors and elite Allen-Stevenson School battle over 'Open Streets'" . Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  32. ↑ Allen-Stevenson School, NAIS
  33. ↑ More Member School Stories, IBSC
  34. ↑ Boys Schools, NAIS
  35. ↑ Directory, ISAAGNY
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