A Look Inside the VCS Experience
Welcome to VCS
FROM JEN MITCHELL, HEAD OF SCHOOL
When Village Community School’s founding Head of School wrote the original proposal for VCS in 1969, she declared that “challenging children to become lifelong learners” would be “the central goal of the school.” For more than 50 years, VCS has fulfilled this goal, igniting students’ curiosity and equipping them with the confidence to design their own ambitious futures.
At VCS, children are known and appreciated as individuals. They develop a strong moral character and a sense of responsibility for themselves and their community. Continually stretching toward the realization of their fullest potential, students become comfortable taking intellectual risks and making mistakes within the context of supportive classroom communities. They graduate as confident, self-aware young people well prepared to succeed in high school and beyond.
We look forward to sharing our unique K-8 journey with you.
Mission Statement
Village Community School develops self-motivated students who value the challenging and rewarding process of learning as an integral part of life. We choose to be a diverse community where equity, creativity, and critical thinking are essential to the rigorous education we provide. Our graduates are skilled and confident, able to advocate for themselves and others. They are well prepared for high school and for their futures in an increasingly complex and dynamic world.
Diversity Statement
Village Community School is strengthened and enriched by the diversity of our students, families, and staff. We are committed to cultivating intellectual, social, and emotional growth in an inclusive environment where diverse experiences and perspectives are essential to the rigorous education we provide.
To read the full Mission and Diversity Statements, please visit www.vcsnyc.org/mission-diversity-statements.
The K-8 Experience
VCS is proud to be a K–8 school. We consider ourselves specialists in childhood—the joys, the challenges, and the unique developmental characteristics of all our students’ ages. We also believe Kindergarten–8th Grade to be the most important years in a child’s education, when they have the opportunity to develop an unabashed love of learning and a strong sense of self that will serve them well for a lifetime.
Our K–8 environment keeps our school community tight-knit. It encourages the cultivation of student friendships across grades while allowing children to mature socially in keeping with their chronological age. Unburdened by the influence of older teenagers, VCS students retain their spontaneity and unselfconscious excitement about the learning process.
VCS recognizes children as capable of demonstrating leadership well in advance of their high school years, and the K–8 model offers myriad opportunities for student leadership. As students move through their VCS careers, they are increasingly expected to serve as models to and resources for younger children. In 8th Grade, our oldest students are officially regarded as the student leaders of the school—a responsibility that imbues their final year at VCS with greater meaning.
We believe students emerge from a K–8 experience better prepared for high school than their peers at K–12 schools. VCS graduates have had the unique opportunity to pursue academic excellence in an environment where they felt safe and known, were taken seriously as leaders, and gained confidence by expressing their authentic ideas and opinions.
“ VCS’s K-8 focus creates an inviting and warm community where older kids play with the younger, teachers are cherished, and parents become friends.”
– PARENT
“The power of the community is hard to put into words. It’s about warmth and acceptance; it’s about being friendly and knowing everyone in the building. It’s about supporting kids, giving them the ability to become confident.”
The VCS Community
Ask any current student or alumni what they love most about VCS, and chances are they’ll say, “the community.” VCS is intentional about cultivating a vibrant and inclusive school community where all students, staff, and families feel welcomed and affirmed.
The VCS community is built upon mutual respect and a shared commitment to the school’s Mission. Within the framework of the community, students learn to make ethical choices, appreciate each other and each other’s work, and understand the impact of their actions. They form diverse friendships that lead them to question their assumptions and become curious about other perspectives.
The full community is invited to take part in the life of the school, and there are many ways to do so. Parents are invited to participate in various curricular, community-building, and celebratory events throughout the year—both with and without their children—and volunteer opportunities abound.
Equally foundational as our Mission is our Diversity Statement, which describes the essential importance of diversity and inclusion within our school community. It is vital for a variety of identities, ethnicities, cultures, family configurations, religions, and neighborhoods to be represented at VCS, both within our school and in students’ coursework. Our community shares a commitment to building a more equitable future, and our students graduate well prepared to advocate for themselves and others.
Our Corner of the City
Village Community School spans the entire block of West 10th Street between Washington and Greenwich streets, offering 86,440 square feet of indoor and outdoor learning space. Our original building, a historic Victorian structure, is seamlessly joined with two modern additions, completed in 2003 and 2021, noteworthy for their high ceilings and abundant sunlight. Inside, you’ll find:
• Classrooms designed for subject-specific use and equipped with the latest technology
• A 20,000-volume library
• Two gymnasiums
• A woodshop
• An auditorium
• Two rooftop play spaces: a playground and a Sky Yard
• A rooftop vegetable garden
• A state-of-the-art innovator space
• Three well-equipped science labs
• Two sky-lit art studios
• An interior courtyard
• A lunchroom with a full-service kitchen
Our West Village location supports active learning outside of the school building as well; students enjoy regular field trips to cultural institutions, parks, and museums within the greater community of New York City and beyond.
“ While we all have to meet certain academic standards, we are free to approach concepts in a way that feels authentic to us as teachers and create activities that match our students, which may not necessarily match the students next door.” – TEACHER
VCS Teachers
We believe our warm, dedicated, and talented teachers represent our greatest strength as a school. Recognized scholars, working artists, and active civic participants, our educators are models of lifelong learning in action. Though they come from a variety of backgrounds, they share a deep commitment to the school’s Mission and a caring approach to education.
Our teaching staff is made up of forward-thinking educators who incorporate the latest discoveries in cognitive science into their teaching methods and curricula. We strive to make VCS a rewarding and joyful place to be a teacher as well as a student, and we are committed to supporting staff in their personal and professional development. Teachers engage in meaningful in-house professional development throughout the year and have opportunities to collaborate with educators from other schools at local and national conferences. In 2023, VCS established the Staff Venture Grant Fund, an additional resource for professional development funding through which all staff can win grants for professional development experiences and travel.
Academic Overview
VCS provides children with the tools to become skilled readers and writers, disciplined critical thinkers, creative problem solvers, confident researchers, and respectful collaborators. Our students are encouraged to ask profuse and pertinent questions, to express their opinions and ideas, and to turn to one another—not just the teacher—as valued sources of information and feedback.
We believe classroom education is most effective when students encounter information through resonant, in-depth experiences. From their earliest years at VCS, children participate in hands-on, project-based coursework, as well as direct instruction, repetition, review, and reinforcement.
Beginning with a study of their own communities—their families, classroom, school, and neighborhoods—VCS students gain an understanding of themselves and the world across time and place, peoples, and cultures. As students’ knowledge grows, so too does their appreciation for human diversity and interdependence.
At VCS, all students receive subject-specific instruction from teachers who specialize in their field. Our departmentalized teaching model ensures our educators bring a deep understanding of and infectious enthusiasm for their chosen subject, which inspires their students toward greater mastery.
“ VCS doesn’t teach me what to think, it teaches me how to think.”
– 7TH GRADE STUDENT
“Through whatever magic we create, our kids are happy, and to be teaching at a school where kids smile and are happy to be here has always made me happy.”
Lower School K-5th Grade
Grades K–5 have a profound impact on how a child thinks about themselves and their learning. Our inclusive classroom communities and approachable teachers ensure students develop a positive relationship with school from the beginning of their educational careers.
Starting in Kindergarten, VCS students reap the benefits of our departmentalized teaching model as they receive Math instruction from a dedicated math specialist; Lower School students in Kindergarten and 1st Grade also enjoy specialist-taught classes in Art, Library, Music, Woodshop, and Physical Education. Departmentalization of core subjects expands in 2nd Grade and above to include Social Studies and English Language Arts (ELA). Spanish and Tech/STEAM are also added to the curriculum in 2nd Grade. As the curriculum expands, teachers help students navigate the increasing complexities and develop strong time-management and organizational skills.
Lower Schoolers have numerous opportunities to connect with other VCS students. Mixed-grade choice time and recess; division-wide assemblies; and cross-grade partnerships like Book Buddies inspire older students to act as leaders and younger students to consider what’s coming next.
Upper School
6th-8th Grade
Some K–12 schools do not prioritize the middle school years as strongholds of intellectual inquiry and growth. We do. We know how sophisticated young minds can be, and our Upper School program is designed to stretch students beyond the typical expectations. A challenging blend of required and elective courses broadens students’ knowledge while honing their capacity for complex, abstract thinking. Gifted faculty provide steady support as students develop effective time-management strategies and self-disciplined study habits.
In Upper School, students encounter a departmentalized curriculum that expands to include three world language options— Spanish, Mandarin, or Latin—and a rich array of electives like Model Congress, Woodworking, Advanced Coding, and more. Students may also elect to participate in the Upper School Drama program, which produces a play and a musical annually. They enjoy a structured physical education program, daily recess, and opportunities to participate in interscholastic athletics.
Personal development and strong friendships are also integral to the Upper School experience. Grade-level dances, outdoor education trips, clubs and affinity groups, community service projects, and myriad after-school enrichment activities are all opportunities for students to grow socially and emotionally.
“VCS has helped me to learn, helped me to find my voice, to find my confidence. It has prepared me for high school.”
The High School Placement Process
Every year, VCS graduates are placed in highly selective high schools, including independent day schools, boarding schools, and specialized public schools. The high school placement process is a formative experience for our 8th Grade students and an important benefit of our K–8 model.
Beginning in the spring of their 7th Grade year, students and their families meet individually with our Director of High School Placement to identify schools of interest and gain an overview of the placement process. Throughout the 8th Grade year, the Director of High School Placement continues to provide individual guidance and support to families, while also working directly with students in a weekly High School Placement class where 8th Graders prepare for standardized tests, workshop application essays, reflect on school visits, and develop interview and self-advocacy skills.
Because they take an active role in the placement process, VCS students graduate feeling self-assured and ready for high school. They look forward to this new chapter in their education, having chosen it with great forethought and in alignment with their talents and ambitions.
Class of 2024 High School Acceptances
American School of Barcelona
Beacon High School
Benjamin Franklin International School, Barcelona
Berkeley Carroll School
Brooklyn Friends School
Brooklyn Technical High School
The Calhoun School
Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School
Concord Academy
Convent of the Sacred Heart
The Dalton School
Dwight School
Ethical Culture Fieldston School
Friends Seminary
Grace Church School
High School of Art and Design
Horace Mann School
LaGuardia High School
Léman Manhattan Preparatory School
LREI
Loomis Chaffee School
Manhattan Center for Science and Math
Mary McDowell Friends School
Marymount School
Midwood High School
The Nightingale-Bamford School
Northfield Mount Hermon School
The Packer Collegiate School
Performing Arts and Technology School
Poly Prep Country Day School
Riverdale Country School
Saint Ann’s School
The Spence School
Trevor Day School
Trinity School
Xavier High School
“As an 8th Grader at VCS, I gained a lot in terms of pulling myself together, thinking about what mattered to me, and planning ahead.”
Admissions
The VCS admissions season begins in September. If you are interested in seeing our dynamic program in action, please call the Admissions team at 212.691.5146 or visit www.vcsnyc.org/admissions.
Most families enter VCS in Kindergarten; 6th Grade is also a common entry point. Kindergarten applicants for the 2025-2026 school year must turn five on or before December 31st, 2025.
We are committed to socioeconomic diversity and encourage all interested families to apply. Approximately 22% of VCS families receive some tuition assistance.
Non-Discrimination Policy
Village Community School admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, gender identification, and national or ethnic origin to all the rights, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, gender identification, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, tuition assistance and loan programs, athletic, and other school-administered programs.
