What The Hewitt School does

The Hewitt School is an independent, nonprofit K-12 private girls' school founded in 1920 by Caroline D. Hewitt and located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan near Fifth Avenue and Central Park. The school operates three academic divisions (Lower School K-4, Middle School 5-8, and Upper School 9-12) and serves approximately several hundred students drawn from all five boroughs of New York City and the tri-state area. Its educational philosophy is structured around four academic pillars — presence, empathy, research, and purpose — and is supported by specialized programs in STEAM and maker education, robotics, performing and visual arts (anchored by the Hewitt Theater at St. Jean), visual arts, and signature programs including the Extended Inquiry (EI) program and eighth-grade Capstone projects.

The school's underlying intellectual infrastructure includes the Center for Girls' Research and Leadership, established in 2022 with a seed grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation, which conducts and disseminates research on how girls learn best and partners with institutions including Columbia's Klingenstein Center, NYU (Dr. Carol Gilligan), CUNY, and the University of Delaware. A 1:1 device program (iPads K-2, Chromebooks 3-8, MacBooks 9-12) and an Innovation Lab support hands-on STEM education. The recently launched Venturer Program extends learning into global travel, cultural exchange, community service, and language immersion.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition, set at $69,990 for the 2026-2027 academic year for all K-12 grades, with bundled inclusions such as meals, devices, and transportation. The school supplements tuition with fees from auxiliary programs (Summer Camp, After-School Program, optional international trips) and fundraising. Need-based financial aid totaling over $7 million in 2024-2025 supports approximately one-third of the student body. The institution is governed by a Board of Trustees, led by Head of School Dr. Jennifer L. Zaccara (the ninth head, appointed July 2025), and operates without a parent company or external capital structure.

Name

The Hewitt School

Legal name

The Hewitt School

Website

https://hewittschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Hewitt School is an independent, nonprofit K-12 private girls' school on Manhattan's Upper East Side, founded in 1920, serving families across the NYC metro area with a research-informed curriculum, signature Extended Inquiry program, and an in-house Center for Girls' Research and Leadership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: Primary revenue stream from tuition payments for K-12 education. 2026-2027 tuition is $69,990 for all grades K-12. Payment plan options include single payment, two payments, or ten monthly installments.
2. Financial Aid Program: Need-based financial aid program supporting approximately one-third of the student body with awards totaling over $7 million in 2024-2025.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Hewitt School is a K-12 private girls' school located on the Upper East Side of New York City providing full-time college-preparatory education from kindergarten through grade 12. The school delivers a research-informed curriculum organized around four academic pillars (presence, empathy, research, and purpose), with signature programs in STEAM, robotics, performing and visual arts, and the Extended Inquiry independent research program, supported by a dedicated Center for Girls' Research and Leadership.

Product overview

The Hewitt School is a K-12 private girls' school offering a unified educational program structured around four academic pillars: presence, empathy, research, and purpose. The school provides three core academic divisions (Lower School K-4, Middle School 5-8, and Upper School 9-12), enhanced by specialized programs including STEAM/Maker Education, Robotics, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and the signature Extended Inquiry program. The institution operates auxiliary programs including Summer Camp and After-School Program, and houses the Center for Girls' Research and Leadership established in 2022. The 2026-launched Venturer Program extends learning globally through travel and cultural exchanges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Center for Girls' Research and Leadership: Research center dedicated to providing educators with research-informed practices that improve girls' lives and outcomes both in school and in the workplace.
• Hewitt Theater at St. Jean
• Venturer Program

Products and services

• Lower School (Kindergarten through Grade 4)
• Middle School (Grades 5-8)
• Upper School (Grades 9-12)
• Center for Girls' Research and Leadership
• STEAM and Maker Education
• Robotics Program
• Performing Arts
• Visual Arts
• Extended Inquiry (EI) Program
• Venturer Program
• Summer Camp
• After-School Program
• Hewitt Action Research Collaborative (HARC)
• Eighth Grade Capstone Projects

Quantifiable outcome

• Extraordinary college acceptances to top universities including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Duke, and other Ivy League and selective institutions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• ClaritycoreTechnology or IntegrationFinancial aid application platform used by families to apply for need-based financial assistance through the Clarity Application system.
• Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHewitt is a proud member of ISAAGNY, which ensures orderly, professional, and equitable admissions processes at member schools through shared timeline and professional development.
• Veracross (Family Hub)coreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform providing the Family Hub portal for current families to access school information, calendars, and resources.
• Klingenstein Center, Teachers College, Columbia UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner providing seed grant and expertise through Dr. Nicole Furlonge. Dr. Lauren Bailes completed research with support from a Klingenstein Center Seed Grant.
• Dr. Lauren Bailes (University of Delaware)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner who conducted quantitative analysis of Hewitt's YouthTruth survey data and qualitative research on Black students' experiences at Hewitt.
• Dr. Lisa DamourstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPsychologist, bestselling author, and Hewitt Visiting Research Scholar contributing expertise on girls' development and education.
• Dr. Carol Gilligan (NYU Steinhardt)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenowned psychologist leading groundbreaking research revisiting her work on girls from 30 years ago, conducting interviews with Hewitt students across all grade levels.
• Dr. Terri Watson (City University of New York)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearcher meeting regularly with Hewitt's Black Student Union to explore how teachers support Black students and provide mentorship.
• Mine the GapstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsulting firm partnered with Hewitt to create a first-of-its-kind K-12 leadership toolkit for teachers to help girls navigate the leadership pipeline.
• Rachel SimmonsstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducator, bestselling author, and Hewitt Research Scholar in Residence (2016-2018), contributing expertise on girls' leadership and development.
• Dr. Frances Rust (University of Pennsylvania, NYU)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Hewitt to develop foundations of teaching practice reflection through conversations examining teaching practices.
• Achilles InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization that partners athletes with disabilities with guides and support runners; Hewitt P.E. teacher Sarah Luposello volunteers as a guide.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Chapin School: K-12 all-girls independent school on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Direct competitor for admissions from the same NYC feeder families, with similar tuition band and shared signature programs aimed at college placement.
• Brearley School: K-12 all-girls independent school on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Member of the same cohort of elite NYC girls' schools competing for identical applicant families; comparable pricing, faculty profile, and college outcomes.
• Convent of the Sacred Heart: K-12 all-girls independent Catholic school on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Targets a similar NYC family demographic with comparable tuition and college-prep mission; one of the leading Catholic girls' schools in the same admissions funnel.
• The Spence School: K-12 all-girls independent school on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Competes head-to-head with Hewitt for the same NYC family pool, operates at comparable premium tuition, and shares the girls'-education research and advocacy community via ICGS.
• The Nightingale-Bamford School: K-12 all-girls independent school on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Closest direct peer given shared NYC geography, single-gender mission, comparable tuition band, and overlapping board/leadership network (Hewitt's incoming Head of School was previously associate head here).

Broad incumbents

• The Dalton School: K-12 co-ed independent school on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Competes with Hewitt for the same NYC family pool at comparable premium tuition, but offers co-ed programming — broad incumbent alternative rather than direct single-gender peer.
• Fieldston School: K-12 co-ed independent school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, NYC. Competes with Hewitt for academically oriented NYC families willing to pay premium independent-school tuition; broader incumbent alternative to Hewitt's all-girls model.

Regional players

• National Cathedral School: K-12 all-girls independent school in Washington, D.C. Operates the same girls-only, college-preparatory model at comparable tuition; functions as the D.C. analogue of Hewitt within the elite girls'-school network.
• The Winsor School: K-12 all-girls independent school in Boston, Massachusetts. Comparable single-gender academic model and tuition band; Hewitt's new Head of School previously taught here, illustrating the cross-market talent flow between elite girls' schools.
• The Madeira School: K-12 all-girls boarding and day school in McLean, Virginia. Comparable single-gender, research-informed curriculum and signature experiential programs; functions as a non-NYC peer benchmark within the national girls'-school market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thehewittschool1634
• Facebookfacebook.com/hewittschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/hewittschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-hewitt-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Hewitt School