Notre Dame School is an American private, Catholic secondary school for girls, located in the

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

borough of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. It is located within the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York ( la, Archidiœcesis Neo-Eboracensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the State of New York. It encompasses the borough ...

History

The Sisters of St. Ursula founded the Academy of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1912 when they came to New York from France. The school was formed in the Catholic tradition of Anne de Xainctonge, who founded the Sisters of St. Ursula in the early 1600s and was an advocate for educating girls as the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

educate boys. The school began in the sisters' home and was referred to as ''Chez Nous'' (our home), a nickname the school still uses. Students refer to each other as their "chez nous sisters". The school originally was located in the Our Lady of Lourdes Church parish on West 142nd Street near Amsterdam Avenue, and then, in 1943, moved to West 79th Street and changed its name to Notre Dame Convent School and eventually just Notre Dame School. Faced with closure, the sisters sold the building and transferred ownership of the school to an independent board of trustees in 1989, and the school moved again to 104 St. Marks Place in the East Village neighborhood. In 2002, to accommodate a growing enrollment, the school moved to its location at 327 West 13th Street on the border of the

West Village The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. The traditional boundaries of the West Village are the Hudson River to the west, 14th Street (Manhattan ...

and the

Meatpacking District The Meatpacking District is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan that runs from West 14th Street south to Gansevoort Street, and from the Hudson River east to Hudson Street. The Meatpacking Business Improvement District along ...

. The five-story building is the former St. Bernard's grammar school, which had been merged with St. Xavier's grammar school before the archdiocese closed it in 2001.

Admission

Admission is based on prior school records and performance on the

TACHS test The Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools or TACHS (pronounced ''tax'') is the admissions test for Catholic high schools in and around New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most po ...

for New York students and the COOP exam for New Jersey residents. Students come from more than 90 elementary and middle schools in the New York metropolitan area. The enrollment is 355 in four grades. Tuition was $16,500 for the 2021–22 school year. Scholarships and financial aid are available.

Academics

Notre Dame is a private, Catholic secondary school for girls focused on a college-preparatory curriculum. The student–faculty ratio is 13:1. The average class size is 28. Students take four years of English, mathematics and science, in addition to art, computer coding, health, history, languages (French, Spanish, Latin), music, physical education, and religion.

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

and honors courses are offered. Notre Dame is a member of the

National Coalition of Girls' Schools Founded in 1991, the International Coalition of Girls' Schools (ICGS) is a non-profit membership association serving Pre-K through 12th-grade single-sex girls’ schools across the globe. Its members are independent, public, charter, and religi ...

, the

National Association of Independent Schools The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boar ...

, and the

New York State Association of Independent Schools The New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) is an association of 201 independent schools and organizations, ranging from nurseries to high schools, in New York (state), New York State. Founded in 1947, NYSAIS is the second la ...

(NYSAIS). As a member of NYSAIS, the school is no longer obligated to administer the

New York Regents Examinations In New York State, Regents Examinations are statewide standardized examinations in core high school subjects. Students are required to pass these exams to earn a Regents Diploma. To graduate, students are required to have earned appropriate credi ...

. Notre Dame students may participate in the following programs: The

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History was founded in New York City by businessmen-philanthropists Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman in 1994 to promote the study and interest in American history. The Institute serves teachers, studen ...

, Global Kids High School Ambassadors Program,

Ignatian Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian, ...

Teach-In for Justice, S-PREP at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, STEP Science and Technology Entry Programs at

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

Baruch College Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the college operates und ...

and

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

, and the

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), ...

Neighborhood Friend School. Students go on regular spiritual retreats and can attend monthly Catholic Mass. Students are expected to follow Anne's Values (named for patron Anne de Xainctonge), which are prayer, trust, gratitude, hope, perseverance, ''conversatio,

magis ''Magis'' (pronounced "màh-gis") is a Latin word that means "more" or "greater". It is related to '' ad majorem Dei gloriam'', a Latin phrase meaning "for the greater glory of God", the motto of the Society of Jesus. Magis refers to the philos ...

'', friendship, courage, service, responsibility and respect. Older students can apply to be Anne's Leaders and lead their classmates in discussions of topics centered on the values.

Extracurricular activities

The school offers more than 30 clubs and extracurricular activities, including student council,

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

, spring musical, yearbook and stepping. Sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, track and volleyball. The school offers a summer camp for rising 7th, 8th and 9th graders. Morning classes include art, coding and mathematics, while afternoons are devoted to excursions to sites around Manhattan.

Notable alumnae

* Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino (class of 1949) – former

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

Carlina Rivera Carlina Rivera (born January 3, 1984) is an American politician who represents the 2nd district of the New York City Council since 2018. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes portions of the East Village, Gramercy Park, ...

(class of 2002) – councilwoman for the 2nd district of the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs. The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...

References

;Notes

External links

* {{authority control 1912 establishments in New York City East Village, Manhattan Educational institutions established in 1912 Girls' schools in New York City Greenwich Village Harlem Roman Catholic secondary schools in Manhattan Upper West Side