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Ross School (East Hampton, New York)

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Coordinates: 40°58′10″N 72°14′26″W / 40.969408°N 72.2406°W / 40.969408; -72.2406
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Ross School
Address
Map
18 Goodfriend Drive

East Hampton
,
Suffolk County
,
New York
11937

United States
Coordinates40°58′10″N 72°14′26″W / 40.969408°N 72.2406°W / 40.969408; -72.2406
Information
School typePrivate Boarding, Day
MottoKnow Thyself in Order to Serve[1]
EstablishedUpper School, 1991
Lower School, 2006[1]
FounderCourtney Sale Ross
Steven J. Ross
Head of Upper SchoolMark Frankel
Head of Lower SchoolBryan Rosenberg
FacultyUpper School:
55 full-time, 10 part-time
Lower School:
20 full-time, 9 part-time[1]
GradesUpper School: Grades 7–12
Lower School, Pre-Nursery–Grade 6
GenderCo-ed
Number of pupilsUpper School: 344
Lower School: 139
Color(s)Navy  
AthleticsGrades 9–12: Baseball (Boys)
Basketball (Boys and Girls)
Cross Country (Boys and Girls)
Golf (Co-ed)
Sailing (Co-ed)
Soccer (Boys)
Softball (Girls)
Tennis (Boys and Girls)
Track and Field (Boys and Girls)
Volleyball (Girls)
Grades 7–8: Baseball (Boys)
Basketball (Boys and Girls)
Soccer (Boys and Girls)
Volleyball (Girls)
Team nameRavens
AccreditationMiddle States Association, Middle States Association International Credential, Absolute Charter from New York State, Green Schools Alliance[1]
YearbookEmerging Voices
TuitionBoarding: (Grade 6-Post Graduate): $76,870 (Domestic); $79,030 (International); $71,870 (5-day)

Day: (Grade 5-Post Graduate): $44,110;

(Kindergarten): $36,390
AffiliationIndependent Day (Grades Pre-Nursery–12, and Boarding School (Grades 6–12)
Websiteross.org

Ross School is a private Nursery-Grade12 school located on two campuses on Long Island, New York, United States—a 63 acre Upper School campus for Grades 6-12 in the Town of East Hampton, and a Lower School campus for N-Grade 5 in the Town of Bridgehampton.[2] Named after her late husband Steven J. Ross, the school was founded in 1991 by Courtney Sale Ross as a girls-only day school for their daughter Nicole and several of her friends.[3][4] The original pre-nursery program was discontinued in September 2020.[5] Ross School transitioned to a co-ed boarding school in 2002[6] after its founder discontinued private funding. Students in grades 7-12 may board five days per week or full-time. The school has supplemented its budget by catering breakfast and lunch from its café to the Bridgehampton School and offering culinary arts and landscaping classes to East Hampton High School students.[7]

A majority of the student body is international, with the highest-represented nations including Brazil, China, Japan, and Mexico.[8]

Curriculum

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Ross School's curriculum is based on world cultural history and the evolution of consciousness and reflects the collaborative work of its founding mentors, mathematician Ralph Abraham and cultural historian William Irwin Thompson. Cultural history is integrated with other academic subjects, such as language arts, math, and science, at every grade level.[9][10] Field Academy takes place during a three-week period between the school's winter and spring terms. Students and teachers travel and work on intensive projects and courses covering an array of subjects at home and across the world.[11] Since August 2016, a 20" Meade RCX 400 telescope of the Hamptons Observatory (formerly Montauk Observatory) has been housed at the Ross School, where students and stargazers gather for viewing and free astronomy lectures.[12][13]

Campus

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In 2018, the school closed its five-building Lower School location in Bridgehampton and moved the early childhood and elementary grades to the Upper School campus in East Hampton.[14][15]

In 2000, the school proposed a 50-building, 600,000-square-foot (56,000 m2) expansion to its 140-acre (0.57 km2) campus which would have made it one of the biggest complexes in the Hamptons. Environmentalists said that Courtney Ross was polluting the debate[clarification needed] by paying to protest proposed expansion of the Long Island Central Pine Barrens protections into East Hampton.[16] The school eventually backed down on the expansion.[citation needed]

COVID-19 Impact and Response

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In response to a surge in applications during the summer of 2020 and spacing mandates related to COVID-19, Ross School reopened its Bridgehampton, NY campus. The Bridgehampton campus was listed for sale after the school moved its lower school program to its East Hampton campus, where its middle and high school grades are situated. The rise in enrollment was part of a trend seen across the East End as families from New York City moved east in pursuit of full-time, in-person schooling. Ross School operated on campus for the entirety of the 2020–21 school year, due in part to the extensive facilities on both campuses which allowed for maximum social distancing.[17][18] [19]

Summer events and programs

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The Ross School hosts an annual fundraising event in June which has featured Aretha Franklin, the Jonas Brothers, Martha Stewart, Cyndi Lauper and Seth Meyers.[20] The largest event to date was held in 2007: a series of five musical concerts entitled "Social @ Ross" with Prince; Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds; Billy Joel; James Taylor and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The price of a ticket to the series was $15,000.[21]

Ross Summer Term offers summer courses for middle and high school students. They can earn academic credits in ESOL, STEAM, Math, English, and Cultural History and or enroll in enrichment courses and tutoring services in different subjects including Math, Science, ESOL, Studio Art, SAT Prep, and others.[22][23]

College admissions public resources

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In 2020, Ross School made its college counseling resources available to the public. In a series of videos and a workbook for parents, Ross college counseling staff cover topics related to the college application process.[24]

Nexus Lecture Series

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In 2019 Ross School debuted a public lecture series aimed at bringing current thought leaders and experts in a variety of topics and backgrounds to the local community in order to facilitate an exchange of ideas and a sharing of insights. Speakers included Bob Roth, CEO of the David Lynch Foundation; Dr. Johannes Wagemann, a psychologist, anthropologist, and philosopher who is a professor of consciousness studies at Alanus University in Germany; Dr. Shefali Tsabary, a clinical psychologist who brings Eastern mindfulness into her practice;[25] and iconic musician, composer, and performance artist Laurie Anderson.[26]

Ross Institute

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In 1996, Courtney Sale Ross founded Ross Institute for Advanced Study and Innovation in Education. The Institute provides training and certification for teachers interested in establishing schools based on the Ross School model. Mentors associated with Ross Institute include economist Jeremy Rifkin, scientist and engineer Danny Hillis, sociologist Pedro Noguera, neuroscientists Antonio and Hanna Damasio, paleoanthropologist Yves Coppens, and sociologist and media scholar Sherry Turkle.[27] Among the universities and organizations that have worked with the Institute are Harvard's Graduate School of Education; NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development; University of Southern California; Smithsonian Institution, Moorea Biocode Project, Moorea IDEA, and the National Geographic Society.[28]

Lawsuit

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In 2020, in a suit that was initially dismissed by State Supreme Court Justice William J. Condon, former Ross School student Hayden Soloviev and his father Stefan Soloviev filed a $10 million lawsuit against the school alleging that the student was subject to bullying, harassment, and threats by Ross School faculty.[29][30] In the dismissal, Justice Condon ruled the plaintiff had not "shown that any of these allegations hold any weight to create a cause of action on this matter".[31] However, in 2024, the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court overturned the dismissal, ruling that the lower court had erred in dismissing the claims without further proceedings.[32][33]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Quick Facts". Ross School. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  2. ^ "Ross School". admissionsquest. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  3. ^ Septimus, Matthew. "Students of Truth". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Eaton, Phoebe (March 23, 2007). "The Continuing Education of Mrs. Ross". New York Magazine. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  5. ^ Garrison, Virginia (January 21, 2020). "Ross School To End Programs For Youngest Students". 27 East. East Hampton Press. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  6. ^ "Ross School Profile – Edge Consulting | School Placement, TOEFL Test Prep, English Training, Business English". Edge Consulting. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  7. ^ Tilghman, Nancy (February 15, 2004). "Ross School's Cutbacks Set Off Shock Waves". New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  8. ^ Fairbanks, Amanda. "The World Comes to Ross School". The East Hampton Star. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  9. ^ Delatiner, Barbara (April 30, 2000). "A Garden of Learning, Growing Like a Weed?; The Ross School Discovers That Gobs of Money and Good Intentions Can't Buy Unopposed Expansion". New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  10. ^ "New Way to Learn at The Ross School in New York". Martha Stewart. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  11. ^ Finn, Lisa (March 2016). "Ross School Students Head Off on 'Field Academy', Focusing on Sustainability at Home and Abroad". Patch. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Vespe, Elizabeth (August 13, 2018). "Montauk Observatory Gives New Telescope A Test Run At New Ross School Location". Southampton Press. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  13. ^ Giustino, Ken. "At The Montauk Observatory". Montauk Sun. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  14. ^ Sampson, Christine (April 9, 2018). "Ross School Will Consolidate Lower School, Upper School Campuses". The Sag Harbor Express. Sag Harbor Express. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  15. ^ "Ross School To Close Bridgehampton Campus, Will Move Lower School Students To Goodfriend Drive". 27 East. Southampton Press. April 7, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  16. ^ Largest Project Ever Proposed for South Fork - The Pine Line - Spring/Summer 2000
  17. ^ "Ross School Will Reopen Bridgehampton Campus | the East Hampton Star".
  18. ^ Williams, Alex (August 2020). "The Little Fraught Schoolhouse". The New York Times.
  19. ^ "Summer Safety".
  20. ^ Seay, Kendra. "The Annual Club Starlight Ball For Ross School In East Hampton". Guest of a Guest. guestofaguest.com. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  21. ^ Only in the Hamptons: a $15,000 Rock Concert Rich and Famous Drop $15,000 for Five-Act Concert Series
  22. ^ "Ross School Offers Sports, Academic, and Traditional Camps for Hamptons Families". May 24, 2021.
  23. ^ "Ross School - Summer Term". teenlife.com. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  24. ^ "Ross School Opens College Guidance Videos to All Students | the East Hampton Star".
  25. ^ "A Conversation with Dan Roe". The Sag Harbor Express. April 15, 2019.
  26. ^ "Laurie Anderson Discusses The Creative Process At Ross School - 27 East". www.27east.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021.
  27. ^ "Ross Institute". Vimeo. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  28. ^ "Ross Institute". rossinstitute.org. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  29. ^ "Former Student Sues Ross School | the East Hampton Star".
  30. ^ "Students at Hamptons' Ross School served booze on class trip, told to keep quiet: Suit". March 24, 2021.
  31. ^ Sampson, Christine (December 15, 2021). "Court Dismisses Ross School Suit". The East Hampton Star. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  32. ^ https://beckerlawyers.com/becker-scores-significant-reversal-in-the-appellate-division-second-department-on-behalf-of-the-soloviev-family/
  33. ^ https://www.nycourts.gov/courts/AD2/Handdowns/2024/Decisions/D74308.pdf
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