A Brooklyn institution known for academic prestige and a complex, often troubled, recent history

Cultures · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn Heights is renowned for its progressive curriculum and high rates of Ivy League placement. Yet, beneath its reputation for artistic and intellectual rigor, the school has faced significant internal crises, including investigations into historical misconduct and legal battles concerning student welfare and hiring practices.

Founded in 1965 within the basement of St. Ann's Episcopal Church, the school began with just 63 students and seven teachers. Under its first headmaster, Stanley Bosworth, it established a unique identity that eventually led to its 1982 disaffiliation from the church. Today, the school operates as a non-sectarian, co-educational institution serving students from preschool through 12th grade. It is physically anchored by a 15-story building in Brooklyn Heights, originally designed by Frank Freeman for the Crescent Athletic Club.

The school is celebrated for its academic outcomes. In 2004, The Wall Street Journal ranked it as the top high school in the country for its success in placing graduates into selective universities. This prestige is bolstered by a flexible academic structure, where high school juniors and seniors are permitted to design their own curricula. However, this high-pressure environment has faced scrutiny. In 2021, the suicide of an eighth-grade student, Ellis Lariviere, prompted a wrongful death lawsuit from his parents in 2023, raising questions about the school's ethical obligations to students it chooses not to retain.

Beyond academic concerns, the institution has grappled with serious institutional failures. An independent investigation released in 2019 identified 19 former staff members who potentially engaged in sexual misconduct dating back to the 1970s. More recently, in 2024, math teacher Winston Nguyen was arrested on charges involving a minor. It was subsequently revealed that the school had hired Nguyen despite being aware of his prior conviction for grand larceny. These events have forced a reckoning for a school that once prided itself on an insular, elite culture where, as described in the memoirs of Claire Dederer, students felt they did not need anyone besides themselves.

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