Greenwich Academy is an independent, college-preparatory day school for girls in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

(

Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio * Fairfield County, South Carolina {{Geodis, uscounty ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. Founded in 1827 (197 years ago), it is the oldest

girls' school Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, same-sex education, same-gender education, and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in se ...

/ single sex education school in the state of

. The head of the school is Margaret L. Hazlett.

History

Greenwich Academy was founded in 1827 by members of the

Congregationalist Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

(in America since c. 1648, of the 16th century

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

era tradition and theological orientation of

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

Congregationalism Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

branch of

Western Christianity Western Christianity is one of two subdivisions of Christianity (Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Protestantism, Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the O ...

, now merged in the last 67 years into the modern denomination of the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a socially liberal mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Restorationist, Continental Reformed, and Lutheran t ...

since 1957). For 86 years, until after the turn of the 20th century, the school admitted both girls and boys. Then, in 1900 / 1902, a Greenwich Academy English teacher founded the nearby parallel Brunswick School for Boys (also in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

). As an eventual consequence, thirteen years later in 1913, the Greenwich Academy Board of Trustees formally approved the decision to accept only girls as future students / graduates in the Middle and Upper Schools, and after 86 years as a coeducational academic institution, the Greenwich Academy was reconceived after that year as a day school for girls.

Coordination

Since 1971, the Greenwich Academy has had a coordinated academic / social relationship with the all-boys student body of the nearby

Brunswick School Brunswick School is a private, college-preparatory school for boys in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1902 by George B. Carmichael. History Brunswick School was founded in 1902 by George B. Carmichael. The school is ...

, founded 1900 / 1902. Brunswick's upper school is located across the street of North Maple Avenue from G.A. and high school students can take classes on both campuses. Almost all classes at G.A. and Brunswick are coeducational (co-ed).

Signature programs

Engineering and Design Lab

Greenwich Academy's Engineering & Design Lab (EDL) was established in 2013. It is a fully equipped, digital fabrication space with machines including 3D printers, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, and CNC machines. In addition to digital manufacturing capabilities, the space offers carpentry and hand-building tools, microcontrollers, electronics, and a wide variety of materials for building. Students and faculty across divisions have access to the space and support for their projects. The lab's director, Erin Riley, is a Senior FabLearn Fellow out of

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

's Transformative Learning Technologies Lab.

GAINS (Girls Advancing in STEM) Network

The GAINS Network was founded by Greenwich Academy in 2011 to provide an online social platform for young women interested in science, technology, engineering and math. Since 2015, the GAINS Conference has been held each spring in partnership with universities and corporations. The three-day conferences have been held at MIT (2015),

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

and

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

(2016), Silicon Valley (2017), New York City at the offices of

Oath Traditionally, an oath (from Old English, Anglo-Saxon ', also a plight) is a utterance, statement of fact or a promise taken by a Sacred, sacrality as a sign of Truth, verity. A common legal substitute for those who object to making sacred oaths ...

(2018), and

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

(2019).

''Daedalus'' Art and Literary Magazine

''Daedalus'', Greenwich Academy's art and literary magazine was established in 1986 and has earned 22 Gold Medalists from the

Columbia Scholastic Press Association The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) is a student journalist program of the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a ...

, 15 Highest Awards from the

National Council of Teachers of English The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is a United States professional organization dedicated to "improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts English studies (or simply, English) is an academic discip ...

, and 14 Crowns from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

Notable alumnae

* Hagar Chemali, writer and television personality *

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...

, model, actress, political / social activist. *

Shelley Hack Shelley Marie Hack (born July 6, 1947) is an American actress, model, producer, and political activist. She is best known as the face of Revlon's Charlie perfume from the mid-1970s until the early 1980s, and for her role as Tiffany Welles in ...

, model and actress. * Jean Holzworth, veterinarian. *

Radhika Jones Radhika Jones (born January 23, 1973) is an American magazine editor who served as the fifth editor-in-chief of ''Vanity Fair'' magazine from 2017 until 2025. She succeeded Graydon Carter, who retired in 2017 after 25 years in the role. Jones ...

, editor-in-chief, '' Vanity Fair magazine'' * Ethel Skakel Kennedy (1928–2024), human rights activist, co-founder of Para Olympics games, and widow of assassinated U.S. Senator, 1968 presidential candidate and U.S. Attorney General

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...

of New York /

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. *

Lauren Redniss Lauren Redniss (b. 1974) is an American artist and writer. She was awarded a "Genius Grant" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 2016. Education Redniss graduated from Brown University. She earned an MFA in Illustration ...

, Visual Storyteller and

MacArthur Fellow The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and colloquially called the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to typically between 20 and 30 individuals workin ...

. *

Kelly Rohrbach Kelly Anne Rohrbach (born January 21, 1990) is an American former fashion model and actress, best known for her role as C. J. Parker in the film ''Baywatch (film), Baywatch''. Early life Was born in New York City and raised in Greenwich, Connect ...

, model and actress. *

Maia Shibutani Maia Harumi Shibutani (born July 20, 1994) is an American ice dancer. Partnered with her brother Alex Shibutani, she is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist (2018), a three-time World medalist (silver in 2016, bronze in 2011 and 2017), the 2016 F ...

Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

ice dancer. * Caroline Simmons, mayor of

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

* Allison Williams, actress, comedian, and singer. *"I went to the New Canaan Nature Center for preschool," she said. "I was so into that world, and still think about it all the time. It established my love for nature and animals." "New Canaan Country School and Greenwich Academy followed." * Susan Hood, author of over 200 picture and middle grade books and novels

References

External links

*
GAINS (Girls Advancing in STEM) Network
{{Authority control Schools in Greenwich, Connecticut Girls' schools in Connecticut Educational institutions established in 1827 Private high schools in Connecticut Private middle schools in Connecticut 1827 establishments in Connecticut