Who We Are

In 1992, teachers in Manhattan’s East Village founded the Earth School on a dream: to create a peaceful, nurturing place to stimulate learning in all realms of child development intellectual, social, emotional and physical. Visit the Earth School today and see how that dream has flourished. Today it is a thriving community of over 240 children in pre-kindergarten through grade 5 with a teaching staff dedicated to the founding values of hands-on exploration, an arts-rich curriculum, responsible stewardship of the Earth’s resources, harmonious resolution of conflict, and parent-teacher partnership.

Earth School teachers believe in the progressive idea that children have different styles of learning and flourish when their individual abilities are respected. While working rigorously in literacy and math, Earth School students are encouraged to explore, experiment, and even sometimes make a mess in the pursuit of learning.

Earth School children come from diverse cultural, ethnic and economic backgrounds. Most classrooms combine two grades so that older students can thrive as guides and mentors while younger ones gain confidence in being part of a caring community of learners.

The Earth School’s Mission Statement reflects the community’s deep commitment to sustainable uses of the Earth’s resources. We have worked to integrate eco-literacy education into all aspects of the curriculum.