The Stony Brook School

Our Purpose

For nearly 100 years, The Stony Brook School has been putting character before career. This is another way of acknowledging that we are human beings, not human doings.  We recognize that career is important; our graduates regularly gain acceptance to the most selective colleges and universities in the world, and they are significantly impacting their communities through their giftedness. That said, we believe that our achievements only speak to one facet of who we are.

Please download the Stony Brook School Profile

Take a Virtual Tour! 

The Stony Brook education is designed to help students flourish, which means to be in a period of highest productivity, excellence, or influence. We believe this flourishing comes through careful attention to character, which a wise person once defined as “who you are when no one is looking.” At The Stony Brook School, we are not afraid to ask our students big questions: Who are you?  What do you care about most?  What is your purpose in this world?  We believe the answers to these questions help shape character and give students the confidence to become all that they were designed to be.

In short, we give our students the space, the opportunity, and the support to explore life’s big questions, while also helping them to fulfill the demands of their rigorous academic course of study. We are able to do this only because of the quality and depth of our faculty

Our People

Our faculty comprises master teachers, coaches, and mentors. Their experience is routinely sought after by other schools to train their teachers how to teach. In addition to their degrees and expertise, what is most compelling about our teachers is the extent to which they care for their students.  SBS teachers make themselves available to their students above and beyond the constraints of the school day, and are dedicated to their students’ success. They are mentors, role models, and the kinds of people who genuinely want to spend time with young adults.

Our Place

Any discussion of The Stony Brook School needs to include its location. Situated near the center of Long Island’s picturesque north shore, we are one mile from the beach and one hour from New York City. Our program takes full advantage of these geographic opportunities, whether it be through our marine science mini-courses, our highly competitive sailing team, or our frequent field trips to the city.

The everyday life of a typical middle school or high school student has its ups and downs, but there is one constant worth noting here at The Stony Brook School—and that is the unparalleled level of personal attention each student receives from our outstanding faculty.  Because we are a boarding school, each of our teachers lives either in a dorm or in a house surrounding our 55-acre campus.  This arrangement means that teaching here is more than just a job; it truly is a way of life.  And our students are not just coming to school; they are coming to a home away from home.

Here they will make friends from all over the United States and from countries around the world.  Here they will have the opportunity to form meaningful relationships not just with their peers but with people of every stage of life, from our eldest faculty and staff to the many small children in our faculty families.  Indeed, we endeavor to live like a family here at The Stony Brook School.  A primary goal is that each among us would look out not just for ourselves but also for each other’s best interests.  It is not always easy, but it is always worth the effort.

International Students

What is the International Student Partnership program?

The International Student Partnership (ISP) is a required English language and American culture immersion program designed specifically for international students as they first enter the school. We believe that the English language and American culture are best learned through classroom instruction as well as personal relationships with American students.

What is the summer program?

Two weeks before the school year begins, international students are welcomed into the homes of Stony Brook faculty or the families of day students. The international students attend intensive English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. The program also includes a three-day trip with their American partners to different locations. The international students also attend special dinners and cultural events and experience “everyday” American life in the local community.

Who will my partner be?

Based upon selections made by The Stony Brook School, each international student will be paired with an American partner of the same gender and roughly the same age and grade.  The American student may be from anywhere in the United States or its territories. 70% of students enrolled at Stony Brook are from the New York area and around the United States.

What are the academic requirements?

Once the school year begins, the international students are required to take ESL classes if placement in such a class is determined, as well as fully participate academically, athletically, and socially. There are two levels: ESL I and ESL II, and an Expository Writing Course for those students who need even further refinement of their writing skills. Occasionally an international student will be mainstreamed upon entrance. Placement in academic classes will be based on previously completed coursework and grade level, and our own internal assessments.  All international students must be fully mainstreamed by their senior year.

Will I see my partner during the school year?

The partnership program continues throughout the year.  Over Long Weekend in October, the international students travel to the homes of the American students. The students also mutually choose another weekend during the early part of the first semester to spend together, and will attend at least two ISP sponsored events during the year. It is our hope that the partners build a solid and lasting relationship.

Boarding and Day School Life

Boarding Student Life

SBS is home to approximately 180 boarders every year.  Our desire is for our students to learn and grow as they live together in a safe and comfortable community.

There are currently 7 single-gender residential halls that house our boarding students and approximately 14 to 15 faculty families. The remainder of the faculty lives in the homes that surround our 55 acre wooded campus. Although every residence hall is uniquely designed, each one has a main lounge with couches and a television (and in some cases a fireplace), laundry facilities, and a kitchen area. The majority of the rooms are designed for two students, although there are scattered singles and triples.

Day Student Life

As a residential community, our day students also reap the benefits of our family-style community, the accessibility of our faculty, and our evening and weekend trips and activities.  We encourage our day students to stay overnight on campus and experience SBS as our boarders do.  There are times that day students may wish to stay in the dorms due to an evening lab or an early morning trip.  They are also welcome to come for an extended stay of a week or more if they are contemplating boarding their last year of high school in preparation for college.

A Typical Day

Boarders and day students alike share a similar schedule between the hours of 7:40 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.  Classes are in session until approximately 3:15 p.m. each day, and sports and elective programs run for two hours, from 3:45 until 5:45 p.m.  Both boarding and day students share in chapel services during school hours several times each week, and each Thursday all of our students and faculty come together for a family-style lunch.

All students can enjoy an optional hot breakfast each day before class begins, and every evening a family-style dinner is served in the Johnston Hall dining room.  Faculty members and their families are assigned to a table, while students rotate each month from table to table.  Boarders, faculty members and their families also gather together for Sunday worship in Hegeman Chapel and a formal Sunday afternoon dinner.