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Ethical Culture Fieldston School

Applying to Fieldston Upper

ADMISSIONS UPDATE
The Ethical Culture Fieldston School application for the 2027–2028 academic year is now open. Explore our pages to learn more about our Admissions process.
Apply Today!
Thank you for your interest in Ethical Culture Fieldston School. Every applicant, from Pre-K through 11th Grade, is at the center of how we build our admissions process. Our Fieldston Middle and Upper admissions team is glad to guide you and your student through each step, and we look forward to sharing what makes ECFS such a special community.
Fieldston Upper (9th–12th Grade, Bronx)
admissions-fieldston@ecfs.org
|
718-329-7306
Entry Points
  • 9th Grade is our primary entry point, with a class of about 160 to 165 students and approximately  40 openings for new students each year.
  • 10th and 11th Grade admissions are attrition-based, with openings determined by the seats available each year. We welcome applications at both grades. We do not accept applications for 12th Grade.
Application Process

Submit an inquiry form to join our mailing list for updates on the application process.

Attend an optional online or in-person event for prospective students and families (all events require registration).

Explore the Fieldston Upper program and curriculum on our website, learn how belonging shapes daily life at ECFS, and read stories from our faculty and students.

Create an account in our online application system and submit your application by Friday 11/13 at noon.

Your application will include your student’s educational background along with parent and guardian information. We ask for two parent or guardian statements, describing your student’s personality, interests, strengths, and areas for growth, and the educational environment you envision for them.

Our application fee, payable online, is $75. We are happy to provide a fee waiver to qualifying families who request one by contacting us at admissions-fieldston@ecfs.org.

If you’d like to be considered for need-based financial aid, submit your financial aid application by December 1.

Use your parent portal checklist to request and upload the following:

  • A School Report Form, completed by a principal, division head, counselor, or dean at your student’s current school.
  • Two Teacher Evaluation Forms, one each from your student’s current English and math teacher.
  • All 9th Grade applicants must submit a student essay that addresses one of three prompts. The student essay form is accessible through your parent portal.
  • An ISEE or SSAT score report. Our ISEE school code is 336242, and our SSAT school code is 3079.  Please register your student for a test that is administered before December 31.
  • Official transcripts and report cards showing all semester and final grades from the previous academic year, plus the first marking period or semester of the current year.

9th Grade applicants and their parents/guardians will also self-schedule a 40-minute online interview conversation with a member of our admissions or faculty team, once your application has been processed. Details will follow in your appointment email.

You may self-schedule a campus tour through your parent portal checklist, and register for our programs for applicant students and families. We look forward to welcoming you and your family to see our community in action.

9th Grade Admissions decisions are released by email after 4:00pm on Wednesday, February 17, 2027, to all parents and guardians included on the application. Admitted students and families are invited to additional programs and revisit opportunities, and have until noon on Wednesday, March 10, 2027 to confirm enrollment.

English Department Chair Alwin Jones speaks to students in a classroom.
An Ethical Culture Fieldston baseball player participates at Spring Fling.
A group of Ethical Culture Fieldston Upper School students pose onstage after a song in Legally Blonde.
Sibling, Alumni, and Faculty/Staff Applicants
Sibling, alumni, and faculty/staff applicant families receive special consideration in our admissions process, and we care about keeping families connected to ECFS. Because we receive a high volume of applications, admission isn’t automatic or guaranteed, even for families with a strong connection to our community. Every applicant is evaluated using the same criteria, with each admission decision guided by what’s best for that individual student. We’re glad to see more sibling, alumni, and faculty and staff families choose ECFS each year, and we remain committed to welcoming new families whose values and goals align with our mission too. Sibling, alumni, and faculty/staff applicant families should submit their applications by by October 1st.

For more information about sibling, alumni, or faculty/staff applications, contact Caroline Hubbell at chubbell@ecfs.org.

2026–2027 ECFS Admissions Events

Fieldston Upper

9th Grade–12th Grade, Bronx campus

For families who are interested in exploring admission to 7th, 8th, 10th and/or 11th Grades, this virtual information session will allow you to ask questions and also learn more about the application process for attrition-based enrollment. This is an optional event and registration is required.

Register for this session.

The ECFS Athletic and Admissions Departments are excited to welcome you to our Fieldston Upper School Athletic Open House. Learn more about our 38 Varsity and JV teams and hear from our Athletic Director, PE Department Chair, coaches, student-athletes, and Admissions team about our athletics and physical education programs. Students and parents/guardians are welcome to attend this optional event. Registration is required.

Register for this event.

A Year in Art: Fieldston Middle and Upper Student Exhibition
Article June 9, 2021
A Return to Form — Arts and Athletics at Fieldston Upper in the Time of COVID-19
Article February 4, 2022
What Happens When You Keep Showing Up
Article June 8, 2026
Ethical Culture Fieldston School offers a world-class progressive education in Pre-K–12th Grade at two historic campuses in Manhattan and the Bronx. The core of our educational program is the study and practice of ethics, which prepares us — and compels us — to take care of our world, ourselves, and each other.
Ethical Culture Campus  |  33 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023
Fieldston Campus  |  3901 Fieldston Road, Bronx, NY 10471
Ethical Culture Fieldston School
ECFS is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to be a welcoming community of professionals that broadly reflects the people of the metropolitan New York City area, our students, and families. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion or religious practices, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship status, national origin, age, ability status, military status, unemployment status or any other category protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. We are committed to hiring practices that ensure all candidates are given fair consideration in alignment with our institutional mission and goals.

Ethical Culture Fieldston School; ECFS; Fieldston; and the distinctive Starburst logo are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as trademarks of Ethical Culture Fieldston School.

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