Nightingale-Bamford School

"Miss Nightingale's School" redirects here. For the nursing school set up by Florence Nightingale, see Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery.

The Nightingale-Bamford School is an independent all-female university-preparatory school founded in 1920 by Frances Nicolau Nightingale and Maya Stevens Bamford.^[2] Located in Manhattan on the Upper East Side,^[3] Nightingale-Bamford is a member of the New York Interschool consortium.

The Nightingale-Bamford School
(2019)
Address
20 East 92nd Street New York, New York 10128 U.S.
Coordinates	40°47′05″N 73°57′24″W / 40.78485°N 73.956727°W / 40.78485; -73.956727
Information
Type	Private, girls
Established	1920
Founder	Frances Nicolau Nightingale and Maya Stevens Bamford
Faculty	92 (65 of which are full-time) ^[1]
Grades	K-12
Enrollment	686
Color(s)	pink Silver and Blue
Mascot	Nighthawks
Newspaper	The Spectator
Website	Nightingale.org

Overview

Nightingale's Lower School includes grades K-4. Middle School includes grades 5–8, while Upper School includes grades 9–12. As of 2021, Nightingale enrolls 686 students, the student-faculty ratio is 6:1, and the average class size is 12 students.^[4] Nightingale is typically ranked among the best all-girls private schools in the United States, and, like many private schools in Manhattan, is ranked as one of the most expensive.^[5]

History

Frances Nicolau Nightingale and Maya Stevens Bamford founded the school in 1920. NBS was originally named Miss Nightingale's School, officially becoming "The Nightingale-Bamford School" in 1929. Since 1920, NBS has graduated nearly 3,000 alumnae.^[6] As of 2008, the School endowment was $74.9 million.^[7]

Faculty

Paul Burke has been head of school since July 2012. He succeeded Dorothy Hutcheson, who was head of Nightingale for the prior 20 years.^[8]

Technovation Challenge

In April 2013, a team of five upper school students won first place at Technovation Challenge, the world's largest tech competition for girls. The $10,000 prize was used to develop and market their winning app.^[9]

Admissions and financial aid

Nightingale-Bamford's admissions process has received media attention for its strict, high-stakes nature.^[10]

As of the 2020–2021 school year, 20% of the student body received financial assistance with $5.9 million in grants being awarded.^[11]

Diversity

Over 30% of the student body of Nightingale-Bamford are students of color.^[12] The school has a program called Cultural Awareness for Everyone, or informally CAFE. CAFE touches on the basis of not only race, but also class, religion, sexual orientation, gender, and age.^[13] Nightingale recruits from an inner-city program called Prep for Prep. Prep for Prep is a leadership development program that offers promising students of color access to a private school education based in New York City.^[14]

Partner schools

Nightingale-Bamford has no official partner or brother school. However, the school has activities with St. David's and Allen-Stevenson (both boys schools) and is a member of Interschool, which organizes programs and activities for eight New York City independent schools: Trinity, Dalton, Collegiate, Brearley, Chapin, Spence, Nightingale-Bamford, and Browning.^[15]

Notable alumnae

• Millicent Fenwick, 1928 – politician ^[16]
• Amina Gautier, – author
• Isabel Gillies, 1988 – author, actress
• Lisa Grunwald, 1977 – novelist
• Mandy Grunwald, 1975 – political consultant and media advisor^[17]
• Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, 1993 – Fashion designer^[18]
• Sophie von Haselberg – actress, daughter of Bette Midler
• Renne Jarrett – actress
• Sakina Jaffrey - actress^[19]
• Alexa Ray Joel – model, daughter of Billy Joel and Christy Brinkley
• Sally Kirkland-oscar nominated and Golden Globe winning actress
• Signe Nielsen, New York Public Spaces landscape architect
• Olivia Palermo, 2004 – Socialite and fashion influencer
• Adelaide Brevoort Close Riggs, philanthropist
• Michèle Rosier, 1948 – French fashion journalist
• Beatriz Stix-Brunell – ballet dancer^[20]
• Sarah Thompson, 1997 – actress ^[21]
• Tschabalala Self, 1990 – artist
• Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, 1921 – socialite
• Cecily von Ziegesar, 1988 – author of Gossip Girl series
• Dana (Pam) Wilkey – television personality^[22]

In pop culture

• Nightingale-Bamford received mention in the Woody Allen film Everyone Says I Love You.
• In the Gossip Girl book series by NBS alumna Cecily von Ziegesar '88, the character's elite all-girls school, Constance Billard School for Girls, is based on Nightingale-Bamford and the lives of the girls who attend the school. "[Constance Billard] is completely based on Nightingale," von Ziegesar told ABC News. "But I exaggerated to make it more entertaining."^[23]
• Nightingale-Bamford is mentioned in the book How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff.

References

1. "Home – The Nightingale-Bamford School". Nightingale.org. 2012-09-24. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
2. "History". About Nightingale. Nightingale-Bamford School. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
3. "Home – The Nightingale-Bamford School". Nightingale.org. 2012-09-24. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
4. "Nightingale at a Glance". 10 August 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
5. Julie Zeveloff (10 April 2011). "The 28 Most Expensive Private High Schools In America". Business Insider.
6. "Home – The Nightingale-Bamford School". Nightingale.org. 2012-09-24. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
7. "Home – The Nightingale-Bamford School". Nightingale.org. 2012-09-24. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
8. "Home – The Nightingale-Bamford School". Nightingale.org. 2012-09-24. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
9. Contributors, Insights (2013-05-10). "Meet the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs". Wired. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
10. Hymowitz, Kay S. (2001). "Survivor: The Manhattan Kindergarten". City Journal. The Manhattan Institute. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
11. "Affording Nightingale". 27 July 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
12. "Admissions FAQ". Admissions. Nightingale-Bamford School. 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
13. "Home – The Nightingale-Bamford School". Nightingale.org. 2012-09-24. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
14. "Prep for Prep". prepforprep.org/.
15. "Faculty Diversity Search". Faculty Diversity Search.
16. . www.celebrityprepschools.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2007.
17. Bumiller, Elisabeth (1999-07-20). "PUBLIC LIVES; A Top Adviser to a Much-Advised First Lady". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
18. "ABOUT SHOSHANNA".
19. "Sakina Jaffrey". Woody King Jr.'s New Federal Theatre. Retrieved 12 June 2022. Grew up in Greenwich Village, where she attended PS-41. Later attended and graduated from Nightingale-Bamford School and graduated from Vassar College with a High Honors degree in Chinese Language and Literature..
20. "A Touch of Magic: American Prodigy Beatriz Stix-Brunell Comes Into Her Own at The Royal Ballet". Pointe Magazine. 24 September 2012.
21. "Sarah Thompson". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
22. "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Recap: Take Care".
23. "'Gossip Girl' Triumphs Over 'O.C.,' Say New York Preppies – ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. 2007-09-20. Retrieved 2012-10-07.

External links

• Official website