Allen-Stevenson School

History

The Allen School was founded in 1883 by Francis Bellows Allen at a home on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. Its first class enrolled only three boys. In 1885, the school moved to rented rooms at Madison Avenue and 44th Street with an enrollment of 20 boys. In 1904, Mr. Allen met Robert Alston Stevenson, a tutor, who by chance had taken a room at 509 Fifth Avenue, where the School was then located. In 1904, Mr. Allen and Mr. Stevenson joined forces and then moved to 50 East 57th Street with 100 students. By 1918 enrollment exceeded 200. The School published its first newspaper, The Spotlight, and introduced an exercise program and team sports.

In 1924, the School purchased two brownstones for a new schoolhouse and moved to its present location on the Upper East Side. In 1939, Mr. Allen retired at the age of 80, after 56 years of service. In 1947, Mr. Stevenson retired after 43 years of service. His son, Robert "Huck" Alston Stevenson Jr., who had taught at the School, succeeded him as Headmaster.

In 1950, Joseph C. Rennard became Headmaster of Allen-Stevenson and served for nine years. The School introduced team sports at Randall's Island and required boys to wear navy blue blazers and gray flannel pants. In 1959, Henry Dyer Tiffany Jr. became Headmaster until 1974. Under his leadership, a modern science lab and a paneled library, a gift from the Bell family, were added.

Allen-Stevenson's school song was composed by Rolande Maxwell Young in 1968, the year she joined the A-S faculty as a lower-school music teacher.

In 1974, Desmond Cole (previously the head of UNIS) became Headmaster and served in that capacity for 16 years. During his tenure, he created the Middle School division.

In 1983, The Allen-Stevenson School celebrated its first 100 years and published The Allen-Stevenson Centennial Album. Around that time an East 77th Street addition, designed by A-S parent Alfredo De Vido, was built onto the school.

In 1990, the Board of Trustees appointed David Trower as Allen-Stevenson's seventh Headmaster. In 2001, Allen-Stevenson launched its first website to improve communication about the School.

Admissions

Allen-Stevenson has a highly selective admissions process. A financial aid program ensures that the boys remain heterogeneous; as with many of its peer NYC schools. The school is private, functioning under a New York City non-profit statute. The school is governed by a board of trustees and administered by a head of school.

Academics

The school is divided into two schools that serve boys from TK (transitional kindergarten) through 8th grade. It has a rigorous academic curriculum and Allen-Stevenson boys attend top-rated high schools including:

Collegiate School, Dwight-Englewood School, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Hackley School, Horace Mann School, Regis High School, Riverdale Country School, Trinity School, and boarding schools Choate Rosemary Hall, Kent School, The Taft School, The Lawrenceville School, The Putney School, Phillips Academy Andover, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Deerfield Academy.

Lower Division

The Lower School consists of TK (transitional kindergarten) through fourth grades.

Curriculum includes:

Language Arts (Reading, Writing)

Social Studies (Geography, Humanities, History)

Mathematics (Arithmetic)

Science (Physical Science and Biology)

Language (Spanish)

Specialty classes include:

Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Woodshop)

Music (Rhythm, Music Theory, Singing and Instruments, Chorus, Ensemble)

Library (Literacy and Research Skills)

Science and Engineering

Technology and Digital Fluency

Physical Education and Athletics

Upper Division

The Upper school consists of fifth through 8th grades.

Upper school curriculum: expands upon the foundations from the Lower School:

English (Literature, Reading, Writing)

History (Ancient World, Atlantic World, American History)

Mathematics (Arithmetic, Algebra I)

Science and Engineering (Earth Science, Biology, Physics, Chemistry)

World Languages (Spanish)

Specialty classes

Fine Arts (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Film and Media)

Visual Arts (Computer Art, Visual Literacy, Design)

Music/Performing Arts (Chorus, Orchestra, String Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Theater, Technical Theater Crew)

Computer Science and Engineering (Robotics, Design, Engineering)

Physical Education and Athletics

Education Technology

Allen-Stevenson's EdTech team, including Sarah Kresberg, Director of Library Services, and Ainsley Messina, Technology Integrator, has been at the forefront of exploring positive uses of AI in schools. The team recently presented, "Making the Machine Less Scary - Introducing AI to your School Community," at ISTE. Messina was also included in Dan Fitzpatrick's book, "Back-To-School AI Guide 2024/25: 46 Steps & Tools For Educators Exploring Artificial Intelligence."

Athletics

Programs

Allen-Stevenson has a competitive sports program for boys with eight interscholastic sports: cross country, soccer, flag football, basketball, wrestling, track, lacrosse, and baseball. The school includes both a varsity program for seasoned athletes and no-cut junior varsity teams. Allen-Stevenson offers a basketball summer camp for grades 4–8.

Accolades

Allen-Stevenson's basketball teams have achieved championship status, with the Varsity team winning the Manhattan Private Middle School League (MPMSL) Championship in the 2022–2023 season. In 2024, both the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams were league champions in the 2024–2025 season. The school's athletics program has a lengthy history, with 42 total league championships across all sports.

Headmasters

Francis Bellows Allen (1859–1952) - 1883–1939, joins with Mr. Stevenson in 1904

Robert Alston Stevenson Sr. - 1904–1947, becomes full-time Headmaster after Mr. Allen retires

Robert "Huck" Alston Stevenson Jr. - 1947–1949, takes over when his father retires after 43 years.

Cesidio Ruel Simboli Ph.D. - Acting Headmaster 1949–1950

Joseph C. Rennard - 1950–1959, introduces navy blazers and gray flannel pants.

Henry Dyer Tiffany Jr. (1910–1994) - 1959–1974, adds modern science lab and the paneled Bell Library to the school.

Desmond Francis Patrick Cole (1924–2008) - 1974–1990, expands the science program, introduces micro-computers, and creates the Middle School division.

David Ross Trower (1946–2023) - 1990–2022, greatly expanded the school's physical plant while incorporating technological education.

Duncan Lyon - 2022–2027, Announced his resignation to become Head of his alma mater.

Notable alumni

Dan Abrams - Class of 1981 - Television host, legal commentator

Jeremy Ben-Ami - Class of 1977 - Executive Director of J Street

Peter Benchley - Class of 1954 - Author of Jaws, son of humorist and children's book author Nathaniel Benchley, grandson of humorist Robert Benchley

Bill Block - Class of 1968 - Founder and CEO of QED International, a leading independent motion picture production, financing and sales distributions company

Gerald Warner Brace (1901–1978) - Writer, educator, sailor, boatbuilder

Jonathan Bush - Class of 1984 - co-founder/Chief Executive Officer of athenahealth, Member of the Bush family.

Frank Brunckhorst - Class of 1978 - chairman, Boar's Head Provision Company

Michael Douglas - Class of 1959 - Actor and film producer; won Academy Awards for Best Picture for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and for Best Actor in Wall Street (1987); received American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009

Michael Eisner - Class of 1957 - CEO of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005

Max Esterson - Class of 2017 - Professional racing driver competing in the FIA Formula 3 Championship for Jenzer Motorsports.

Charles Evans Jr. - Class of 1977 - Film producer and documentary film director; produced Johnny Depp's first directorial effort, The Brave (1997); co-produced Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator (2004)

Notable faculty

Stanley D. Gauger (1925–2012), director of the music department and orchestra, 1948–1986.

Josh Harris (born 1964), vice president and treasurer in the early 2010s, co-founder of Apollo Global Management and owner of several sports teams.

Donald Judd (1928–1994), Minimalist artist, taught art at Allen-Stevenson from 1957 to 1961.

Paul Kellogg, Assistant Headmaster and Head of the Lower School, 1967–1975; General and artistic director of the New York City Opera, 1996–2006.

Julia Kunin, art teacher.

Robelyn Schrade-James (1954–2014), music teacher, pianist, performed at the 1964 New York World's Fair representing Steinway & Sons at age 10, also performed at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.

Rolande Schrade (1927–2015), music teacher, 1958–1989, composer and pianist.

David Kersey h'98 (1943–2023), At various points taught English, Math, History, and Drama from 1968 to 2023.

Allen-Stevenson in the news

Allen-Stevenson Gymnastics - May 1911

Allen-Stevenson Boxing Matches - March 1912

Mr. Stevenson's Obit - April 1948

Mr. Allen's Obit - November 1952

Mr. Cole refuses to close Allen-Stevenson during the Blizzard of 1978 - February 1978

Tradition Bound Allen Stevenson School Marks Centennial - May 1983

Eighty members of the Allen-Stevenson School Orchestra, including then-Vice President George H. W. Bush's nephew Jonathan Bush Jr., perform at the White House on an unexpectedly rainy day in 1984, to kick off the White House Visitors Concert Series - May 1984

A story in The New Yorker about Allen-Stevenson and dances - March 2002

A legal battle being waged that could have a major impact on how community facilities - schools, churches and doctors' offices - are built in New York City's residential neighborhoods - March 1987

Parents Protesting the End of Standardized Testing at Private Schools - May 2004

An article about private school tuition - March 2004

An article speaking on their “play street” - January 2023

Affiliated organizations

Sources:

New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS)

International Boys' School Coalition (IBSC)

National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)

Independent School Admission Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY)