The Beekman School, New York | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

I first discovered The Beekman School in 2005 when my older son had left a boarding school that was not a good fit, and we found ourselves looking for a school for his senior year, not an easy task. My husband had died unexpectedly the year before, so I was doing this on my own. Arriving at our appointment, Headmaster George Higgins immediately made us feel comfortable, and was most encouraging. Under his direction the application process was easy, and the transition smooth. My son soon found himself with wonderful teachers who were eager to bring out his strengths, and as his confidence grew, he quickly began earning the best grades of his life. The very small class sizes were ideal in helping him to focus, and if extra support was needed, The Tutoring School within Beekman was right there to help. He also quickly made friends, finding the other Beekman students lively and diverse, friendly and caring. He still keeps in touch with many of them. He had an amazing senior year, and only wished he had been able to benefit from all four years at Beekman.
In 2012, my younger son, adopted from Eastern Europe, was experiencing some reading comprehension challenges, and although passing, was struggling at his school. There was also some teasing going on. I called George Higgins again, and he welcomed us warmly, as returning family members. My younger son started Beekman in his sophomore year, and to our delight, many of the teachers are still there, all these years later. Having always been a good Math student, my son quickly started to receive top grades in Algebra and Physics, and for the first time did well in English and History, challenging subjects for him before. The individual attention Beekman offers has made him blossom, and he has been an Honor Roll student. He has made many friends, and there is no teasing. He is part of Student Government, and loves going to school. He will graduate in 2015. I couldn’t be more grateful to George Higgins and the dedicated teachers of The Beekman School, for giving both my sons such an excellent and enjoyable high school experience.

This school is really tiny, just 70 or so kids across four grades. This has its advantages: small class sizes, family feel, nobody gets lost. When you call, the principal picks up the phone. You feel like you’re not just a number. That size has its disadvantages: no sports teams, not a lot of fancy facilities. It’s very DIY: if you find an arts program you like at SVA or a drama or dance course somewhere else in the city, the school will count that course as a credit, if it’s long/rigorous enough, so you can really take advantage of NYC. IF you are in a sports league, the school will credit that as a sport. There’s a (pretty reasonably priced) one-on-one option if the kid is really behind on something that you can take instead of the Beekman class. On the downside, there isn’t a wide range of art or music or P.E. offered within the school. (They go to a local gym on Fridays) Beekman seems to have a lot of more or less normal kids who for whatever reason aren’t a classic fit for a typical school. Some of them are expats who came halfway through the semester, or from the U.N, (there’s quite a lot of Asian kids), some are from fancy private or big public schools where they stumbled. I guess Beekman is their second chance, and some of them take it and others don’t and get moved along. This is not a competitive school to get into, but there are some quite talented kids here. The teachers seem kind, if not universally dazzling pedagogues. There’s no PTA (that I’ve found) and no fundraising. MY LD kid is there, after a few stumbles. Overall we’re pleased with how sane and flexible the school is; low key, sensible, no crazy NYC pressure, while still getting kids a solid education. I would recommend Beekman for the kid who needs something a bit different, but is still recognizably a school.