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Why Spence

Let us Tell you why

In Our Words
Powered by Girls
Great Teaching
In the World
Trailblazers

Tour the Spence Lower School

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Kasey

“What I love about Spence is that no two people are the same and no one person is one thing. We don't exist to be better than the next person; we exist to make each other better.”
Amalie

“I’m surrounded by so many amazing women. So many people at Spence are so exceptional and it’s very inspiring to get to take classes with people who are so motivated, which drives me to want to be more motivated and find my own passion.”
Megan

“Everyone at Spence really cares about not only your success but really what you have to say, and making it a positive environment where we all really build each other up.”
Lizzie Dickson, Grade 4 Teacher

“Every day, I see my students diving in and using all of their intellectual resources to come up with ways that they can participate.”
Sandra Smith, History Teacher

“It is exciting and compelling to teach at an all-girls school because we can allow the girls and the young women and the students to not just add gender to the history, but to see how the experiences, voices, efforts, contributions of girls and women across the globe have changed history, have made history.”

Great Teaching

Justin Iwerks, Head of Computer Science Department

“We cultivate environments for discovery, giving students autonomy to learn and explore themselves, achieve at the highest levels and really believe that anything is possible.”
Eric Zahler, Director of Teaching and Learning

“I see our role as both preparing students for leadership and encouraging them to question what leadership is supposed to look like.”
Traci Allen, PE Teacher

“We love teaching, we love our discipline, and in the ways that we see and connect to students throughout the day, we are also teaching for the life of the student.”
Sarah Beasley, Head of English and World Literature Department

“Our classrooms are passionate, voices overlap and there is a little edge-of-your-seat excitement. You are not going to settle in and turn off your brain, you're going to lean in and listen to the conversation.”

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Dalia Aidoo, Head of the Science Department

“Our students graduate, knowing how to ask the right questions, knowing how to challenge ideas, and thoughts, and thinking. They will understand the connectedness of all of the sciences. They will know how to collaborate, respectfully. They will know how to share knowledge and information. They will be high level, critical thinkers who are unafraid of numbers and data, and they'll want to go into a science field.”

In the World

Hana T. ’27 is the 2026 New York State Youth Poet Laureate. Hana will represent New York through her writing and take part in performance and learning opportunities as she continues to develop her voice as a poet. Her work explores womanhood, belonging, cultural inheritance, and identity. Hana credits her poetry class with Ms. Silva and her English teachers with helping her think more deeply about language, voice, and the power of poetry to engage with community.

Spence junior Chloe performed at Carnegie Hall as a Grand Prize Winner of the International Music and Arts Society 9th Annual Talented Young Musician Olympia Competition.

Middle School students in GETS (Girls Empowerment through STEM) traveled to the Upper West Side to the Museum of Natural History, where they conducted hands-on research for projects on the solar system. Later, they presented their posters, showcasing their curiosity, knowledge, and passion for science.

Coding for a Better World: SpenceHacks is a city wide annual event that Spence Upper School students host for NYC students to participate in workshops about python programming and virtual reality and create projects to better the world.

Emma is a summer intern for a New York Criminal Court judge. She has the opportunity to observe court proceedings, take on a range of administrative responsibilities. "Every day I make my way to 100 Centre Street, where I observe a wide array of trials. Wednesdays are designated for field trips to various institutions that enhance our understanding of the broader criminal justice system. The internship has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the behind-the-scenes work of the legal system."

On the other side of the world, the Spence Select Choir brought their voices to Italy in March of 2026 for a week of music, cultural exchange, and collaboration. From performances in historic venues to music exchanges with a local high school choir, students and performing arts faculty connected across cultures through a shared love of music.

Annesley ’24 has been named a US Squash High School All-American, one of only 20 female athletes nationally to receive the honor. Annesley led the 2022-2023 Sabers Squash Team to an impressive collection of three championship team titles: AAIS Regular Season Co-Champion, AAIS Tournament Champion and NYSAIS Tournament Champion. A junior Co-Captain, Annesley has been an instrumental part of the Sabers’ Squash dominance in the past two years, rising to the #1 spot on the ladder this year.

Trailblazing Is in Our DNA

Clara Spence’s pioneering work

in advocating for the cause of abandoned children inspired alumnae to work alongside her to offer adoption as an alternative to institutionalization and relocation. In 1947, the Spence Alumnae Association merged its adoption services with services offered by Dr. Dwight Chapin and his wife, Alice, creating the Spence-Chapin adoption service.
At age 34, Eleanor Milbank Anderson,

Class of 1896, was so moved by the needs of those in impoverished New York City neighborhoods that she decided to go to medical school and later founded the Judson Health Center, which treated one million children free of charge.
Dorothea Draper, Class of 1899

on the heels of her graduation, embarked on the Harriman-Alaska expedition for three months alongside scientists, artists, photographers and naturalists, including John Muir.
Edith van Benthuysen McCullough

Class of 1900, became a founder of Bennington College and was its first chairman of the board.
Pauline Morton Sabin, Class of 1903

was the first woman appointed to the Republican National Committee and founded the Women’s National Republican Club.
After her husband died, Frances (Bingham) Bolton,

Class of 1904, took his seat as a member of the 76th Congress as a representative from Ohio. During her 26-year-tenure, she contributed to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Jane Dewey, Class of 1917

daughter of John Dewey, earned her PhD in physical chemistry at MIT. She became a physicist and a pioneer in quantum optics, taught at schools such as Bryn Mawr College and Hunter College and worked at the Ballistic Research Laboratories.
Louise Bushnell, Class of 1926

was one of the first women to become a secret agent during World War II. As an operative of the Office of Strategic Services, Louise dressed up in dirty clothes and carried apples in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Sailors from Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands were told to look for “the apple lady” and pass along information about Nazi gun emplacements and Gestapo headquarters in occupied areas of northern Europe.
Electra Webb, Class of 1905

drove an ambulance in New York City, During World War I, and was named Assistant Director of the Motor Corps. In 1942, during World War II she joined the Civilian Defense Volunteer Organization, and directed the Pershing Square Civil Defense Center and its blood bank.

Let us tell you more about Spence

Inquire

Middle & Upper School

22 East 91st Street
New York, NY 10128

Lower School

56 East 93rd Street
New York, NY 10128

Athletic & Educational Facility

412 East 90th Street
New York, NY 10128

A K-12 independent school in New York City, The Spence School prepares a diverse community of girls and young women for the demands of academic excellence and responsible citizenship.

212-289-5940

© 2025 Spence School

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Explore SPENCE

Why Spence

Jannah

Amanda Keats '03, Parent and Former Math Teacher

Cate

Lauren

Powered by Girls

Kasey

Amalie

Megan

Lizzie Dickson, Grade 4 Teacher

Sandra Smith, History Teacher

Great Teaching

Justin Iwerks, Head of Computer Science Department

Eric Zahler, Director of Teaching and Learning

Traci Allen, PE Teacher

Sarah Beasley, Head of English and World Literature Department

Dalia Aidoo, Head of the Science Department

In the World

Trailblazing Is in Our DNA

Clara Spence’s pioneering work

At age 34, Eleanor Milbank Anderson,

Dorothea Draper, Class of 1899

Edith van Benthuysen McCullough

Pauline Morton Sabin, Class of 1903

After her husband died, Frances (Bingham) Bolton,

Jane Dewey, Class of 1917

Louise Bushnell, Class of 1926

Electra Webb, Class of 1905

Let us tell you more about Spence

Middle & Upper School

Lower School

Athletic & Educational Facility