PRINCETON DAY SCHOOL Opportunities of a Lifetime. Every Day.
Thinking About
HIGH SCHOOL
UPPER SCHOOL BY THE NUMBERS Upper School enrollment: 420 students
Female/male student ratio: 51%/49%
Number of new students entering 9th grade: 40
54% Number of applicants to 9th grade: 300 Diversity of new 9th grade students:
Average SSAT Percentile of Admitted Applicants, Class of 2022 Verbal: 80; Quantitative: 81; Reading: 79
Upper School students receiving need-based financial aid: 26% Number of Upper School faculty: 62
Faculty holding advanced degrees: 79%
Faculty female/male ratio: 47%/53%
Upper School student/teacher ratio: 8 to 1 Class size: 14 –16 students
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP Paul Stellato, Head of School B.A., Hamilton College; M.F.A., Columbia University Lisa Surace, Associate Head of School B.A., Princeton University; Ph.D., New York University Trixie Sabundayo, Head of Upper School B.A., Johns Hopkins University; M.A., Middlebury College Elizabeth Monroe, Dean of Students B.A., Bowdoin College; Ph.D., University of Southern California Sarah Graham, Director of College Counseling B.A., Princeton University; M.A., The College of New Jersey
ACCEPTANCE TOTALS AT SELECT COLLEGES (2013–2018) Bard College: 16 Barnard College: 10 Bates College: 7 Boston College: 22 Boston University: 54 Bowdoin College: 8 Brandeis University: 14 Brown University: 12 Bryn Mawr College: 9 Bucknell University: 33 University of California, Berkeley: 8 Carleton College: 4 Carnegie Mellon University: 17 University of Chicago: 15 Colby College: 15 Colgate University: 7 Colorado College: 6 Columbia University: 9 Connecticut College: 25 Cornell University: 17 Dartmouth College: 10 Dickinson College: 31 Duke University: 16 Elon University: 21 Emory University: 10 Franklin & Marshall College: 34 The George Washington University: 30 Georgetown University: 16 Gettysburg College: 22 Hamilton College: 18 Harvard University: 6 Howard University: 7 Ithaca College: 18 Johns Hopkins University: 21
Kenyon College: 15 Lafayette College: 33 Lehigh University: 39 Massachusetts Institute of Technology: 4 McGill University: 8 University of Miami: 29 University of Michigan: 19 Middlebury College: 10 New York University: 58 Northeastern University: 35 Northwestern University: 5 University of Notre Dame: 7 Oberlin College: 11 University of Pennsylvania: 12 Princeton University: 24 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: 14 University of Richmond: 15 Skidmore College: 29 University of Southern California: 19 Stanford University: 6 Syracuse University: 28 Trinity College: 24 Tufts University: 23 Tulane University: 26 Union College: 12 Vanderbilt University: 5 Vassar College: 9 Villanova University: 45 University of Virginia: 15 Wake Forest University: 17 Washington University, St. Louis: 24 Wesleyan University: 7 College of William and Mary: 11 Yale University: 10
2018
STANDARDIZED TESTING AND ADVANCED PLACEMENT RESULTS
• SAT Average Score: Reading/Writing: 690; Math: 700 • ACT Composite Average: 31 • Advanced Placement Results: 65% of AP scores in 2018 were a 4 or 5; 200 students, including seniors and underclassmen, took 349 exams in 25 different subjects; 81% of the class of 2018 took an AP exam during their senior year.
NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION RESULTS (2014–2018)
• Commended Scholars: 80 • Semifinalists: 14 • Finalists: 13
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS IN THE ARTS THEATER
Outstanding High School Theatre Program, Northeast Region, Stage Directions Magazine Outstanding Musical Production, Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards Outstanding Acting Ensemble, Montclair State University, Theater Awards DANCE
THEATER PROGRAM Princeton Day School students have the opportunity to travel with the Performing Arts Department to the annual Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, to perform an original work.
Performances at 92nd Street Y Dance Up Series for High School Choreographers Performances at Grounds for Sculpture Outlet Dance Project Festival MUSIC
Students have participated in the following: Central Jersey Music Educators Association (CJMEA) Honor Band NJ Performing Arts Center Jazz for Teens CJMEA High School Regions Chorus CJMEA Honors Chorus Julliard Pre-College Program FINE ARTS AND DESIGN
National Scholastic Arts Awards: 30 Awards, including 10 Gold Key and 8 Silver Key Awards in Photography, Architecture and Industrial Design Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers (AWFS) Fresh Wood Competition, Las Vegas: Gold and Silver Medals Professional Gallery Exhibits
GLOBAL STUDIES PROGRAM The Global Studies Program is comprised of three tenets: globally-focused daily curriculum, school exchange programs, and international travel programs. These include the School Year Abroad (SYA), Chewonki Semester School, Semester at High Mountain Institute School, School for Ethics and Global Leadership, the Conserve School, school-sponsored travel to Japan, China, India, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom.
ACADEMIC OFFERINGS ADVANCED CURRICULUM BY DEPARTMENT:
• Mathematics: AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Statistics, Advanced Topics in Math • Sciences: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics C: Mechanics • History and Religion: AP Comparative Government, AP European History, AP US Government and Politics, AP Art History, AP Human Geography
THE STEAM INITIATIVE
An ambitious STEAM initiative at PDS includes a revitalized interdisciplinary curriculum with courses in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics, as well as a new STEAM facility.
ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM Our graduates have enrolled at top college architecture and engineering programs, including Cornell, Washington University, Carnegie Mellon, Notre Dame, and Tulane.
• Classic and Modern Languages: AP French Language, Advanced French Literature, AP Spanish Language, AP Spanish Literature, Chinese V, AP Latin, Ancient Greek • English: All English elective courses for juniors and seniors are taught at the advanced level. Many of our juniors and seniors sit for the English Literature AP exam. • The Arts: Advanced courses are offered across visual, design and performing arts.
Students have the opportunity to take classes at Princeton University.
ATHLETIC OFFERINGS
Athletic Teams
Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Fencing, Field Hockey, Figure Skating, Golf, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Squash, Tennis, Volleyball PDS Panthers are Competing for these College Teams: Bard College Boston College Boston University Bowdoin College Brown University Bucknell University Carleton College Clarkson University Colby College College of William & Mary Colorado College Connecticut College Cornell University Dartmouth University
Drexel University Elon University Franklin and Marshall College George Washington University Gettysburg College Goucher College Hamilton College Lafayette College Lehigh University Liberty University Iona College Jacksonville University Johns Hopkins University
Kenyon College Loyola Maryland University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Middlebury College Muhlenberg College New York University Oberlin College Ohio Wesleyan University Princeton University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rochester Institute of Technology Skidmore College St. Bonaventure University Stevens Institute of Technology Susquehanna University Swarthmore College Tufts University Tulane University Union College University of Delaware
University of Vermont Vassar College Villanova University Washington University in St. Louis Washington and Lee College Wesleyan University Xavier University
GUEST SPEAKERS Scholar Dr. Cornel West P’18, author Ben Mezrich ’87, professor of animal science Dr. Temple Grandin, Dr. Deane Marchbein of Doctors Without Borders, author Jeffrey Eugenides P’17, NASA astronaut and professor Dr. Michael Massimino, evolutionary biologists Drs. Peter and Rosemary Grant, award-winning poet and educator Willie Perdomo, acclaimed novelist Yaa Gyasi, NBA star Davon Reed ’13, award-winning authors/illustrators Grace Lin and Melissa Sweet, dancer/choreographer Kelsey Burns ’10
LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Peer Leadership: Two of the many peer leadership opportunities at Princeton Day School include Peer Group, where a group of selected seniors mentor 9th grade students; and Bridges, where a group of selected seniors mentor students in the 7th grade. Community Council: The student governing body of the Upper School. Clubs: Opportunities to get involved abound in more than 40 clubs. In many clubs, students are selected by faculty and peers for leadership positions, including Mock Trial Team, The Spokesman (student newspaper), Model UN, a capella singing groups, Science Olympiad Team, and Student Ambassadors. Peer Tutoring: Staffed by hand-selected juniors and seniors, the Writing Center and the SiMS (Success in Math and Science) Center are available to all Upper School students.
PDS: BEYOND ACADEMICS Advisor System: Every student in the Upper School has a faculty advisor with whom they check in daily. This primary contact guides the student on both academic and personal issues. Weekly meetings occur with agendas covering academic and social life in the Upper School. Class Deans: There is a dedicated 9th grade dean. Starting in the 10th grade, the same dean guides each class the remaining three years. Learning Support: Each Upper School student has access to a Learning Specialist and Counselor.
PRINCETON DAY SCHOOL 650 Great Road Princeton, NJ 08540
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Photos: Michael Branscom, David Bremer, Christine Cantera, Nancy Erickson, Matt Pilsner
Learn more at pds.org