Why Brearley?
The decision to enroll your daughter at Brearley is a commitment to her education today and her greater potential tomorrow. We believe that the power and promise of a Brearley education unfolds over a lifetime.
A Rigorous Liberal Arts Education
At the heart of Brearley lies a deep commitment to rigorous training in the liberal arts. Through the humanities, sciences, and arts, our students learn to think both deeply and expansively, approaching every idea from a multitude of angles, making connections across disciplines. They understand that true knowledge cannot be rushed; it is built through deliberate effort, joyful curiosity, and an enthusiasm to grapple with difficult problems.
The rewards of this journey are immense. Our students are able to read critically, question broadly, and write compellingly across disciplines. What is more, they become thinkers who see paradox where others see polarity, nuance where others see division. They find opportunity in complexity and ask beautiful, discerning questions that move our society forward.
Preparing Our Students for the Future
For over 140 years, Brearley has prepared students to navigate the challenges and opportunities of an evolving world. We achieve this by balancing an enduring liberal arts tradition with thoughtful innovation, ensuring our curriculum remains relevant, engaging, and timeless.
As technology revolutionizes how we work and connect, Brearley approaches new tools with practiced care. The rise of Artificial Intelligence presents a unique inflection point. As we share in our AI Position Statement, we acknowledge its contrary possibility and peril. Therefore, our objective is twofold: to protect the learning process while younger students build cognitive skills in their encounter with new ideas and skills, and to guide older students in navigating a world with AI with strong judgment and ethical clarity.
To support this objective, Brearley has introduced a required course in Class IX: Computer Science and AI Through an Ethical Lens. Because appropriate use of AI depends on context and learning objectives, our faculty thoughtfully determine when and how technology serves student learning. As part of this deliberate and thoughtful approach, we will continue to evaluate AI in service of our mission and liberal arts education, but never as a means to circumvent either.
Cross-Divisional Teaching
Guiding students through our rigorous liberal arts program are Brearley’s faculty, an extraordinary group of gifted educators who are drawn to Brearley by a shared inspiration: curious, spirited students; collaborative, thoughtful colleagues; and an environment that honors deep intellectual work. By design, faculty teach across multiple divisions; their perspective spans the entire journey of learning. A math teacher might introduce fractions in the Lower School and linear algebra in the Upper School; a visual artist might work with students at every stage of their development. This cross-divisional teaching model allows educators to witness growth over time, giving students the rare gift of mentors who have witnessed and guided their full journey and, most especially, who truly know them
