Ethical Culture Fieldston School

Ethical Culture Fieldston School has run as a secular independent day school in New York City for more than 130 years. It serves about 1,675 students across four divisions: Ethical Culture, Fieldston Lower, Fieldston Middle, and Fieldston Upper. That span — from pre-school through high school — makes it one of the larger independent day schools in the region.

The school's two campuses shape daily life for staff in concrete ways. Ethical Culture sits in a six-story turn-of-the-century building on Central Park West in Manhattan. The other three divisions share an 18-acre campus in Riverdale, a residential section of the Bronx. Before applying, candidates should confirm which campus a role is based on, since the commute and daily rhythm differ sharply between the two.

With roughly 350 faculty and staff, the school hires across a wide range of subjects. Language programs include Mandarin, French, Latin, Spanish, and additional offerings. Openings appear in arts, sciences, humanities, student support, and administration across every grade band. Because the school is large and spans four divisions, job postings turn up year-round rather than in a single hiring season.

The school's finances point to a stable employer. Net assets reached nearly $140 million in 2023, with annual revenue close to $128 million. That base supports consistent operations and competitive salaries for New York City independent school teaching jobs — an important factor given the city's cost of living.

For candidates who want urban day school teaching without the commute demands of a single-campus Manhattan school, the Riverdale campus offers genuine breathing room. The school's scale also means more defined departments and colleagues to collaborate with than smaller independent schools typically allow.