The Convent of the Sacred Heart is New York City’s oldest independent school for girls, established in 1881 by the Society of the Sacred Heart. Part of a worldwide network of over 150 schools committed to the mission of Sacred Heart education, the school was originally housed in a brownstone on Madison Avenue at 54th Street.
From its inception, Convent of the Sacred Heart was governed by a strong commitment to the education of the whole child, addressing her intellectual, spiritual, social and emotional development. By the 1930s, the school had outgrown its original space on Madison Avenue and moved into the Otto Kahn Mansion on East 91st Street; in the 1940s the Society acquired the building next door, the James Burden Mansion. Since then the school has been housed in these two beautiful landmark buildings which provide an extraordinary learning environment.
Originally run solely by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, an order of cloistered nuns, the school began to integrate lay faculty in the 1940s. With the effects of Vatican II, further changes were implemented, including the ending of cloister, the adoption of modern attire in place of the traditional habits, and a growing community of teachers and students that reflected the true diversity of New York City. Understanding the challenge presented by a decrease in the number of vocations, the Society restructured the school in 1976 by appointing a lay Board of Trustees to oversee its operation. The Board continues to adhere to the Society’s educational policies and is governed by the Goals & Criteria, the set of principles that express the values, intentions and hopes of the Sacred Heart tradition.
Since the 1980s, Convent of the Sacred Heart has experienced tremendous growth and academic progress. Enrollment currently stands at 670 young women from the pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The curriculum is recognized for its rigor and depth, and the academic program is accredited by both the National Association of Independent Schools and the New York Association of Independent Schools.
Graduates of Convent of the Sacred Heart attend some of the most rigorous and highly respected colleges in the nation. Some of the colleges members of our most recent classes are now attending include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, Stanford, University of Chicago, and many more.