At a Glance
A nonsectarian all-girls school built around the intellect, confidence, and joy of young women.
Best suited for
Families raising daughters who want a rigorous, all-girls academic environment from the early years and are prepared for both the tuition and an admissions timeline that begins months in advance.
What stands out
- An all-girls environment intentionally designed to cultivate girls' intellectual confidence and voice from the early years.
- A 6.2:1 student-teacher ratio that allows for genuinely individualized attention and relationship-building.
- A three-year Independent Science Research elective that is unusual at the elementary level.
- A structured computer science pathway running from introductory data algorithms through Advanced Computer Science.
- Eight competitive academic teams, signaling a culture that treats academic contest seriously.
Things to consider
- Tuition of $68,480 places Spence at the top of the Manhattan private school market and requires real financial planning.
- The all-girls structure is a deliberate educational choice that won't fit every family's preferences or values.
- The application deadline of December 1 is early; families should begin the inquiry and admissions process well before that date.
- As a PK through grade 5 program, families will face a second major admissions cycle for secondary school on the other side.
- The demographic profile skews upper-income and largely reflects its Upper East Side setting, despite the school's stated commitment to diversity.
Identity
Spence is a nonsectarian, all-girls school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, grounded in the belief that women possess strength, intellect, and vitality worth cultivating deliberately. Its liberal arts program emphasizes academic excellence alongside personal integrity, self-confidence, and an explicit joy of learning, with a stated mission of preparing a diverse community of girls to transform themselves and the world.
Community
For an elite Manhattan private school, the student body is meaningfully diverse - roughly 53% white, 18% multiracial, 14% Asian, 10% Black, and 4% Hispanic. With tuition at $68,480, the families enrolled tend to be affluent, mirroring the demographic profile of the Carnegie Hill neighborhood that surrounds the campus.
Neighborhood
Carnegie Hill is one of Manhattan's wealthiest and most educated corners, with a median household income of nearly $200,000 and 84% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. The blocks around the school are threaded with museum-goers, dog-walkers, and the quiet rhythm of long-established institutions.
The 86 St station on the 4, 5, and 6 lines is about a 7-minute walk south, and the 96 St stop on the 6 is also about 7 minutes north; the Q train at 86 St is roughly 11 minutes on foot.
Notable Programs
What Parents Are Saying
Reviews praise academic rigor, a collaborative environment, the joy of learning, caring faculty, an inclusive community, and whole-student development; other reviews highlight passionate teachers, strong preparation for college, and an engaging, warm environment
Synthesized from public parent reviews · Apr 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is SPENCE SCHOOL a good school?
- Published quality ratings aren't available for SPENCE SCHOOL yet on Motley. It's a private school serving grades Pre-K to 5 in Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill.
- What grades does SPENCE SCHOOL serve?
- SPENCE SCHOOL serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into SPENCE SCHOOL?
- SPENCE SCHOOL runs its own private admissions process — typically an application, a visit, and sometimes testing.
- Is SPENCE SCHOOL public, charter, or private?
- SPENCE SCHOOL is a private school.
- What neighborhood is SPENCE SCHOOL in?
- SPENCE SCHOOL is in Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill, Manhattan.