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The Calhoun School
Established	1896
Type	Private
Head of School	Steve Nelson
Students	approx. 700
Location	433 West End Avenue, New York, NY 10024 New York City, New York United States
Campus	Urban
Colors	Green and White
Mascot	Cougar
Newspaper	The Issue
Lower School Location	160 West 74th Street New York, NY 10023
Average Class Size	12 - 15
Student to Teacher Ratio	7:1
Website	http://www.calhoun.org/

The Calhoun School is an independent, coeducational college preparatory school located in New York City's Upper West Side. Classes are offered for preschool (3s and 4s) through 12th grade. It was founded in 1896, and currently has approximately 700 students enrolled in the lower, middle and upper schools.

Contents 1 Philosophy 2 History 3 Athletics 4 Facilities 5 Performing Arts 6 Distinguished Alumni 7 External links

The Calhoun School is committed to a progressive educational approach that values intellectual pursuit, creativity, diversity, and community involvement. It accepts about 35% of students that apply.

In 1896, The Calhoun School was founded by Laura Jacobi as the Jacobi School in a brownstone at 158–160 West 80th Street. Originally, the Calhoun School was a school for all girls, but it went co-ed in 1972.

Calhoun has revampled its entire athletic program, thanks to a new full-size gym and fitness room, completed in September 2004 as part of a major renovation. The school offers an extensive physical education program that promotes team play and individual fitness. Among the special electives are pilates, weight training, and a Project Adventure facility that includes rock-climbing walls. Calhoun plays interscholastic sports as part of the ISAL, GISAL, PSAL, and PSAA leagues. Varsity teams have recently won three championships: Men's ISAL Basketball in 2005 and 2006 (undefeated) and Men's PSAA Volleyball in 2006 (undefeated). Students also excel in track-and-field: three team members recently qualified for New York State Championships.

The Calhoun School's 200 preschoolers, 3s through first graders, are taught at the Robert L. Beir Building, on West 74th St between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenue, in a completely renovated five-story townhouse. The building houses one of Calhoun's two theaters, its own gym and rooftop garden, as well as large, bright classrooms, a library, an art/woodshop. and an outdoor play terrace.

Grades 2–12 are taught in the Main Building, located on West 81st St and West End Avenue. Originally completed in 1975, the building was designed by Costas Machlouzarides. (The building is easy to spot as the façade once looked like the front of a television set.) Calhoun prides itself on its free and open learning experience, and the building's architecture reflects this. Wide expanses of window help create a light, open environment. Instead of halls and classrooms, the first three academic floors are divided into classroom areas by bookshelves, dividers and flexible walls.

In September of 2004, Calhoun completed a 4-year renovation of its main building. Four more stories were added including:

• A full-size gym and weight room
• A performing arts center with theater and rehearsal rooms
• Three new, fully equipped science labs
• A greatly expanded art studio with kiln, darkroom, and woodshop
• Additional classrooms for language classes
• An eco-friendly Green Roof Learning Center that also provides programmable space for educational purposes, light recreation, and the school's herb and vegetable garden (for the school's nutritious lunch program).

Calhoun's new Mary Lea Johnson Performing Arts Center is used for student productions, assemblies, and school events, as well as for Calhoun's Performing Arts Series, open to the public. The yearly series hosts professional Children's Theater, Music Concerts, Dance, Documentary Films, and Town Hall Meetings and Lectures, all at nominal cost. The guests artists and speakers bring added richness to the school and local community; students and faculty have the added benefit of meeting with many of these artists and guest speakers prior to the events, in class or specially arranged assembly programs.

• Ben Stiller ’83, American comedian, actor, and film director
• Wendy Wasserstein ’67, playwright and author
• Ann Godoff ’68, president and publisher, Penguin Press
• Suzi Oppenheimer ’52, New York State Senator, 36th District of Westchester, New York
• Allyson Young Schwartz ’66, Pennsylvania State Senator
• Jordan Peele ’97, Actor-Comedian, MAD TV
• Peggy Guggenheim 1915, patron of the arts

• [1] Official Calhoun Web site
• [2] Admissions Department