NIGHTINGALE-BAMFORD
- First day of school: Sept. 9
- Size: 685 girls in grades K-12 and 115 teachers
- Location: a schoolhouse on East 92nd
- Tuition: $54,750
Children in grades K-6 will go to school full-time in the fall, while older students will learn remotely on some days. On those days, they’ll have access to an off-campus study hall if they reserve a spot in advance. For anyone who has symptoms of Covid-19, there’s an isolation room in the nurse’s office equipped with a photocatalytic oxidation air purifier.
Families have to sign a “community pledge” to follow safety protocols both in and out of school. For example, if any member travels from a hot spot, the entire family must quarantine for 14 days. On the upside, school uniforms are optional this year. Instead, younger students can wear a white shirt with navy pants or leggings. For those in middle school, any navy blue or gray skirt or pants will do.
RIVERDALE COUNTRY
- First day of school: Aug. 24
- Size: 1,200 students from pre-K through 12th grade and about 240 teachers
- Location: 27.5 acres in the Riverdale neighborhood in the Bronx
- Tuition: $50,045 (fees for books, lunch, etc. not included)
Riverdale starts school with all-remote classes, two weeks earlier than its usual schedule. Students will also get to spend two hours once every week on campus, which has 51 outdoor classroom tents. The schedule will help kids “get used to the new protocols and understand the new ways in which school life will work,” according to the school’s website. After Labor Day, the school will opt for a hybrid schedule or go all-remote, depending on how prevalent the virus is in the community. In-person sports competitions have been canceled for the fall.
Under the hybrid plan, half the students in the lower school will be on campus at a time, with the others using Zoom. Middle schoolers will be in two days a week, and high schoolers one or two days a week. A few students are expected to be remote all the time. The school may switch to all-remote when the flu season starts and when it becomes too cold to hold classes outside. Free protein bars are available for breakfast; lunch is “grab and go.”
SPENCE
- First day of school: Sept. 8
- Size: 750 girls in grades K-12 and 128 teachers
- Location: Buildings on East 91st and East 93rd and one on East 90th nearing completion
- Tuition: $57,385
Spence will start with remote learning, except for select in-person visits geared toward “community building.” Grades K-4 will have the option to start in-school in October, pending city and state directives and the school’s own risk assessment. Older students may begin going back during the winter. To maintain social distancing, libraries have been turned into classrooms and middle- and upper-school students won’t get lockers.
Because of Covid, the school is offering tuition assistance for those in need. Families have also set up an emergency fund to help faculty, staff and families. Nevertheless, Spence’s plan states it can’t guarantee that no one will be exposed or infected while at school, and cannot be held liable for exposure or infection of employees, parents, guardians, students, vendors, service providers and other visitors.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.