Our Mission Statement - Our History - The Hudson School Education - Student Life
Community Outreach - Curriculum Information
"Courage, Compassion and Commitment"
The Hudson School provides intellectually inquisitive students in grades 5-12 with a rigorous and relevant college-preparatory education that inspires independent thinking and intellectual risk-taking with the goal of developing compassionate, responsible, principled citizens who are socially conscious and committed to lifelong learning and service. The school fosters an eclectic and supportive environment that challenges students and faculty to develop their passions and talents through a stimulating, balanced and creative interdisciplinary curriculum.
In the fall of 1978, Suellen Newman, with the financial assistance of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, founded The Hudson School as an alternative to the available educational institutions in the local area. Since its inception, the school has steadfastly held to its mission of encouraging "courage, compassion and commitment" in its students, who are admitted because they demonstrate that they love to learn and don't mind a bit of hard work. In 1991 the Board of Trustees decided to begin a high school for the same reason Mrs. Newman started the middle school; there were very few local secondary school choices, particularly for girls.
The Hudson School has a formidable record of attracting a diverse, gifted student body and helping each student reach his or her potential. Its graduates have moved on to great success at many of the finest high schools and universities in the country. The school assumes that all of its students will be attending college. In fact, each graduating class of the high school has had an almost perfect college acceptance rate and the students have received an astonishing volume of financial aid awards.
By keeping tuition and fees relatively low, and budgeting a significant amount of money for scholarship aid, the school has been able to attract students across the entire socio-economic spectrum. Unlike many private schools, The Hudson School does not simply have a few, token, minority students. Almost two-thirds of the students have at least one parent that is not of Western European descent. A recent poll revealed that the students go home to households speaking nineteen different languages. This beautiful mix of colors and cultures helps all of the students to understand, respect, and appreciate both the differences and similarities that exist among people. We believe that this will, in turn, make them better prepared to be citizens of the United States and the world.
The primary reason for the school's educational success is a large, dedicated, faculty made up of individuals who love to teach. The thirty-six member regular faculty (both full- and part-time), augmented by fourteen others who come in to lead after-school electives such as instrumentals, clubs and crafts, teach only the topics for which they are both qualified and passionate. Many of these teachers are professionals who have attained a high level of success in their field and appreciate the opportunity to spend some time passing on their knowledge to children. The enthusiasm that all of these instructors bring to the classroom is infectious; the students cannot help but become caught up in the passion for learning.
The Hudson School Education
The Hudson School is a learning community where individual talents are shared and developed in a non-competitive atmosphere. There is a strong emphasis on the visual and performing arts, communication skills, and the universal truths. Small classes, individual attention, and creative curriculum design are the hallmarks of The Hudson School. There is an atmosphere of genuine scholarship and intellectual risk-taking for teachers and students alike, as well as a continuous process of self-evaluation.
Enrollment is presently over 200 students. The majority of students are from Hudson County. Students also come from all over northern New Jersey and New York, depicting a wide variety of ethnic and economic backgrounds. The Hudson School has always played an important part in the community by supporting over 35 percent of its student body with financial aid grants. Many of the school's full- and part-time faculty members have acquired master's degrees, as well as doctorate degrees.
With these sorts of credentials, The Hudson School is proud to have students that have been accepted to prestigious colleges such as Barnard/Columbia University, Boston University, Bowdoin College, Clark University, Franklin and Marshall College, Northwestern University, Oberlin College, Pennsylvania State University, Sarah Lawrence College, Smith College, Stevens Institute of Technology, Swarthmore College, and Vassar College, just to name a few.
Student Life
We have a small student body with large diversity of backgrounds - students of all races, religions, income levels and ethnicities. Probably fifteen different languages are spoken at home, and we see that as an educational opportunity, not a liability. We draw most of our students from Hoboken and Jersey City, but we've had students from the whole Metropolitan New York area. For the 2000-01 school year, students were enrolled from Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark, Bloomfield, Secaucus, Bayonne, Weehawken, West New York, Orange, East Orange, Lodi, New York, Cliffside Park, Guttenberg, Oradell, Maplewood, Plainsfield, Bergenfield, Fairview, Irvington, North Bergen, Passaic, Lyndhurst, Palisades Park, Montclair, Upper Montclair, Union City, and Mt. Tabor.
The school day begins at 8:30 a.m. Most extracurricular activities begin at 3:15 and end by 5 p.m. (and are included as part of the tuition). High school students, with their parents' permission are free to eat lunch where they choose so long as it is nearby. There is an elected Student Council. Performing arts are enthusiastically pursued. There is a very proud and active drama department, Hudson Productions, which performs in the community. Students have made television commercials against racism. Our student musicians have performed in Costa Rica, France, and at Steinway Hall and Carnegie Hall, individually as well as in ensembles. Not surprisingly, students often come up with ideas for their own elective activities, and we do what we can to accommodate them. Uniforms are not required.
Community Outreach
The Hudson School has a strong tradition of community. High school extra-curricular activities include service to Habitat for Humanity, in which students work on weekends to build homes for the homeless, and Amnesty International. All high school students perform at least twenty hours of community service each year, including work for food drives, clothing drives, and neighborhood clean-ups. Many middle and high school students participate in the St. Jude Children's Hospital "Math-A-Thon" and other charitable activities. Parents voluntarily coach sports teams, participate in choral and theatrical groups, and serve as tutors and mentors.
The Hudson School's strong performing and dramatic arts programs culminate in several plays and concerts each year. The school has worked with Stevens Institute's Dramatic Society, and received national recognition for the collaboration. The Hudson School has also received numerous grants from the Hudson County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs for its Cultural Outreach Series.
Curriculum Information
The Hudson School provides a rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum.
Top of Page
For more information about The Hudson School, please view our brochures.