Mission and Manifesto

City and Country School, for children ages 2-13, was founded in 1914 by pioneering educator Caroline Pratt during the dynamic period of Progressive Education.

Believing that education is fundamentally a social process, we strive to create a vital school community that supports each child's innate passion for learning while expanding their understanding of communities and cultures beyond school and home.

Social studies is the core of the curriculum, enriched through science, mathematics, literature, and the arts. Students are offered varied opportunities to explore and question the human story, both past and present. Academic and practical skills are embedded in contexts meaningful to children within larger, in-depth investigations.

The teacher's place is alongside the child, posing questions that elicit imaginative thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making in pursuit of a deeper perspective. In the partnership of learning among children and teachers, community is lived through purposeful experiences that foster responsibility, cooperation, active participation, care, and respect—qualities necessary to the life of a democratic society.

At C&C, we assume an ongoing responsibility to understand and reflect our city's diverse identities, backgrounds, and cultures, which is essential to innovate and thrive. We are committed to making our school authentically inclusive through the lens of antiracism and social justice, ensuring everyone's fundamental right to be seen, be valued, and belong.

C&C graduates are rigorous, original thinkers who embrace inquiry and experimentation as a means toward discovery. Compassionate in spirit, supportive of the needs and ideas of fellow citizens, and sure of their ability to solve problems, they move confidently into the world and contribute positively throughout their lives.
 

The City and Country Manifesto

More than a century ago, our founder unbolted desks from rows
unleashing something revolutionary
that’s even more relevant today.

Tucked away on a leafy West Village street,
there’s a place that exists just for children.
A small world for big thinkers,
a safe, bright, thoughtful, and intentional space
where inventors, collaborators, builders,
debaters, creators, and scholars find their voice.

You’ll feel it when you get here:
the focus and fascination,
the side-by-side collaboration,
the blocks and trips and jobs,
the children’s sense of belonging,
the children’s sense of self.

You can spot a C&C kid from across the room.
They own their skills.
They hold their own.
They stand up for themselves
and for what they believe;
they’re ready to tackle
whatever the future holds for them.

City and Country School
Something special happens here.