The École is committed to building a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our school community.
As our mission statement outlines, we strive to develop well-informed, well-rounded, responsible, compassionate global citizens who are prepared to flourish in and contribute to the multicultural world beyond our walls. That is only possible by ensuring that everyone respects, supports, and honors the variety of ages, appearances, backgrounds, belief systems, cultures, ethnicities, family structures, gender expressions, identities, languages, learning abilities, nationalities, physical abilities, races, religions, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds that make The École the diverse, international, and multicultural community we love.
Celebrating Diversity
The École’s community is as diverse and multicultural as New York City. We have a student body of 323 children and 77 members of staff with families from 72 different countries:
Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
We honor our community’s diverse cultural heritage on International Days, celebrated during Spirit Weeks in November and May each year, and during the International Festival in September, when members of the community are invited to share their culture and heritage with our students from Pre-Nursery to 8th Grade. The École also recognizes the holidays of every country and belief system represented in our community and takes pride in celebrating the variety of family structures, gender identities, and sexual orientations that make up our school community during Rainbow Day, celebrated bi-annually in November and June.
Valuing Kindness, Acceptance, and Inclusion
Our Counseling Department and pedagogical team actively teach the importance of the values of kindness, acceptance, and inclusion in class and through dedicated guidance and advisory lessons all year long. During the month of October, the focus is on anti-bullying strategies as the entire school observes National Bullying Prevention Month. The École celebrates Unity Day on the third Wednesday in October annually – all members of the community wear orange as a sign of being united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion and showing a visible message that no child should ever experience bullying.
Every student and parent/guardian must sign The École’s Code of Conduct and Anti-Bullying Policy at the start of each school year.
Fostering a DEIB Admissions Policy
We believe it is our responsibility to welcome an evermore diverse community of learners to our school each year and encourage applications from all backgrounds, belief systems, cultures, ethnicities, family structures, gender expressions, identities, nationalities, races, religions, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
At The École, we strive to bring the benefits of bilingualism to as many students as possible, whatever their socioeconomic circumstances, and to make our unique bilingual program accessible and affordable to all families. $1.8 million of the school’s annual budget is dedicated to financial assistance. 25% of families at The École benefit from financial assistance from the school, the French government, and/or the parent association. Read more about financial assistance at The École here.
Cherishing a DEIB Careers Policy
The École is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage job applicants of all races, backgrounds, genders, gender identities, sexual orientations, and ages to apply for available positions. Discover our available positions here.
IDEA Committee
The IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Awareness) staff committee meets regularly to reflect on and propose activities related to staff training, celebrations, school life, and class activities, to create equitable experiences for students, staff, and parents, to strengthen DEI reporting, representation, and sharing of resources within our community, and to integrate diverse perspectives and experiences into the curriculum.