Welcome from the Head of School
Welcome to The Pennington School! I invite you to explore this website to learn more about all we have to offer students in Grades 6 through 12. Even more importantly, I urge you to make an appointment to meet with us and visit our beautiful campus so we can share the Pennington experience with you in a more personal way.
The Pennington School has been making a difference in the lives of our students since 1838. We welcomed girls in 1853, at a time when most private schools were male-only. In the 1880s, we opened our doors to international students from around the globe, and in 1975, we were one of the first traditional college-preparatory schools in the country to create a program for bright students with learning differences—our own Cervone Center for Learning. The Cervone Center celebrated its 50th anniversary just this past year.
Our mission states, "The Pennington School is committed to developing individual excellence in all of its students." Our faculty members continually strive to bring out the best in every student—guiding them to each reach their true potential, both academically and personally. Character and integrity are just as important to us as academic achievement.
As a phone-free school, we remain deeply committed to a human-centered education grounded in our values of honor, virtue, and humility. Our students learn to engage confidently with advancing technologies, navigate artificial intelligence with discretion, and use it as a tool rather than as a shortcut for critical thinking. We want to teach students to engage transparently, ethically, and strategically with AI while focusing on the development of human creativity, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
The people who make up our Pennington community—teachers, students, alumni—are determined to make a difference in the world. As Robert Kennedy said, “The purpose of life is to make a difference by helping to make things better.” In my worldview, making a difference can happen at many levels, from the personal to the global. Each of us can make a difference on any of these fronts.
But don’t simply take my word for it—come and visit for yourself, and find out why so many families fall in love with The Pennington School.
Sincerely,
Dr. William S. Hawkey
Head of School