Horace Mann School

Focus 

Preparing students to lead great lives

Day fees 2025/26

$46,900-$65,400

Term dates

• Term 1: 2 September to 19 December 2025
• Term 2: 5 January 2026 to 10 June 2026

Ages

3-18

Pupil count 

1,823

Spear’s Review

Horace Mann School was founded by Nicholas Murray Butler in 1887 as a coeducational experimental and developmental unit of Columbia University’s Teachers College. In 1947 it became an independent day school for boys in grades 7 to 12, and it is now co-educational from nursery to 12th grade. 

Head Thomas M. Kelly says the school is proud of its heritage and is guided by its traditional values: the life of the mind; mature behaviour; mutual respect; a secure and healthful environment; and a balance between individual achievement and a caring community.

With the nursery based on the Upper East Side and the lower, middle and upper divisions set in the Bronx, this city school strives to ‘prepare a diverse community of students to lead great and giving lives’.

Academics

For students in the class of 2025 who took the SATs, the middle 50 per cent scored between 1410 and 1520. For the ACT, the middle 50 per cent scored between 31 and 35. 

Head teacher

Thomas M. Kelly has been head of Horace Mann for 20 years. Kelly, who also teachers ethics at the school, has prioritised increasing diversity among Horace Mann staff and students, encouraging students to see issues through what he calls ‘a global lens’. Prior to joining Horace Mann, Kelly worked in public schools as a superintendent, high school principal and director of special education. 

University and college destinations 

Since 2023, over 150 graduating students have attended Ivy League universities.

Admissions

In addition to completing an online application, students – depending on their age – take standardised tests and attend an interview. They are also asked to submit academic records, a personal statement (written by parents for younger students), an essay (for older students) and teacher recommendations.

Notable alumni

• Jack Kerouac (novelist and poet)
• Nelson Peltz (billionaire businessman and father to Nicola Peltz)
  
• William Barr (attorney general during the Bush and Trump administrations)

Accessibility

JFK Airport: 1 hour 

Location

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