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In the fall of 1978, Suellen Newman, with the financial assistance of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, founded The Hudson School as an alternative to the available educational institutions in the local area. Now in its thirty-second year, the school has steadfastly held to its mission of encouraging "courage, compassion and commitment" in its students, who are admitted because they demonstrate that they love to learn and don't mind a bit of hard work. In 1991 the Board of Trustees decided to begin a high school for the same reason Mrs. Newman started the middle school; there were very few local secondary school choices, particularly for girls.
The Hudson School has a formidable record of attracting a diverse, gifted student body and helping each student reach his or her potential. Its graduates have moved on to great success at many of the finest high schools and universities in the country. The school assumes that all of its students will be attending college. In fact, each graduating class of the high school has had an almost perfect college acceptance rate and the students have received an astonishing volume of financial aid awards.
By keeping tuition and fees relatively low, and budgeting a significant amount of money for scholarship aid, the school has been able to attract students across the entire socio-economic spectrum. Unlike many private schools, The Hudson School does not simply have a few, token, minority students. Almost two-thirds of the students have at least one parent that is not of Western European descent. A recent poll revealed that the students go home to households speaking nineteen different languages. This beautiful mix of colors and cultures helps all of the students to understand, respect, and appreciate both the differences and similarities that exist among people. We believe that this will, in turn, make them better prepared to be citizens of the United States and the world.
The primary reason for the school's educational success is a large, dedicated, faculty made up of individuals who love to teach. The thirty-six member regular faculty (both full- and part-time), augmented by fourteen others who come in to lead after-school electives such as instrumentals, clubs and crafts, teach only the topics for which they are both qualified and passionate. Many of these teachers are professionals who have attained a high level of success in their field and appreciate the opportunity to spend some time passing on their knowledge to children. The enthusiasm that all of these instructors bring to the classroom is infectious; the students cannot help but become caught up in the passion for learning.