Agnes Irwin School
The Agnes Irwin School | |
---|---|
Location | |
Rosemont, Pennsylvania United States | |
Information | |
Type | All-Girls |
Religious affiliation(s) | Nonsectarian |
Established | 1869 |
Head of School | Wendy L. Hill, Ph.D. |
Enrollment | 660 |
Average class size | 14-17 |
Student to teacher ratio | 7 to 1 |
Campus | Suburban |
Color(s) | Blue and Gold |
Athletics | 14 Varsity sports, 10 interscholastic sports in Middle School |
Athletics conference | Inter-Academic League |
Mascot | Owl |
Average SAT scores | 2100 |
Website | www.agnesirwin.org |
The Agnes Irwin School is an all-girls, non-sectarian college preparatory day school for students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The School has been a leader in girls' education since 1869, when it was founded by Agnes Irwin in Philadelphia. Irwin, a great-great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin, later became the first dean of Radcliffe College. In 1933, the campus moved to Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, and then to its present location in Rosemont in 1961.
Location and campus
The campus in Rosemont, is 10 miles (16 km) west of Philadelphia.
The eighteen-acre campus in a suburban setting includes a self-contained Lower School with its own gym, dining room, library, and arts, science and music rooms. The Middle School, Upper School, Arts and Science Center, Libraries, and Gym/Fitness Center are interconnected buildings. The campus also features five tennis courts, three playing fields, three playgrounds and an outdoor dining area.
Enrollment
- PreK-12: 644
- Lower School (PreK-Grade 4): 147
- Middle School (Grades 5-8): 212
- Upper School (Grades 9-12): 285
- Average class size: 14-17[1]
Diversity
Students of color represent approximately 20% of the student body. More than 50 girls have parents for whom English is a second language. The school is not religiously associated, and all faiths are honored and respected. A multicultural student board promotes diversity and multicultural activities in the school.
Academics
Agnes Irwin offers a rigorous liberal arts program. Upper School requirements include English (4 years), History, Math, Science and Language (3 years), Arts (1 year), Community Service and Physical Education. Academic profile for the Class of 2006 includes: SATs: Verbal-655, Writing-671, Math-661; 28% honored by the National Merit Scholarship Program; 61% taking 5 or more AP’s and honored by the AP Scholars Program; 50% enrolled in AP math and/or science; 21% were recruited for college athletics. Agnes Irwin is consistently ranked among the best schools in the Philadelphia area.[2][3]
Administration
- Wendy L. Hill, Ph.D. - Head of School
- Mariandl M.C. Hufford - Assistant Head of School and Director of the Center for the Advancement of Girls (CAG)
- Joanne Hoffman - Director of Upper School
- Louisa Mygatt - Interim Director of Middle School
- Donna Lindner - Director of Lower School
- Jennifer Fiorini - Dean of Students, Upper School
- Connie McEvoy - Director of College Counseling
- Sheila Pauley - Director of Athletics
- A. Randol Benedict - Director of Enrollment Management
- Wanda Odom - Director of Marketing & Communications
- Margaret Welsh - Director of Development
- Carole Melvin - Director of Finance
- Tom Weissert - Director of Technology
Tuition
- Pre-K $22,700
- Kindergarten $24,200
- Grades 1-4 $27,900
- Grades 5-8 $32,000
- Grades 9-12 $35,500
Additional costs include uniforms, textbooks and lunch (optional).
Need-Based Tuition Assistance
Over $3.3 million in need-based tuition assistance is distributed annually to 25% of the girls in PreK-12 who demonstrate financial need. Approximately 50% is dedicated to Upper School girls, 30% to Middle School students, and 20% to Lower School students. The average award is about one half of the relevant tuition.
Transportation
Twenty school districts provide free bus transportation to Agnes Irwin. In addition, the school is located within a mile of the Villanova stations for the SEPTA Regional Rail Paoli/Thorndale Line and the Norristown High Speed Line.
Extracurricular
Fourteen varsity sports including basketball, crew, cross-country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, squash, swimming and diving, tennis, track, and volleyball. Performing arts include dance, choral and instrumental groups and dramatic and musical productions. Visual arts include studio art, ceramics, photography and media arts. There is an active Community Service program and an incredible amount of clubs.
Accreditation and associations
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools, National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, Cum Laude Society, Multicultural Resource Center, National Association of Independent Schools.
Notable alumnae
- Agnes Repplier (did not graduate), Essayist
- Caroline Furness Jayne, ethnologist
- Dorothy Harrison Eustis (1904), established The Seeing Eye, an organization dedicated to training guide dogs to help the blind
- Kara Ross (1984), jewelry designer
- Karen Hepp (1989), news anchor/reporter
- Molly Swanton, mystery writer
- Tory Burch (1984), fashion designer
- Vanessa Noel, shoe designer
- Betty Shellenberger (1939), one of the members of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame
- Mary Patterson McPherson (1953), executive officer of the American Philosophical Society, former vice president of the Mellon Foundation, former president of Bryn Mawr College
- Eleanor Stuart Childs, novelist and short story writer
Summer at AIS: Adventures for the Independent Spirit
Summer at AIS is co-educational summer camp run by the Agnes Irwin School from mid-June through late July for boys and girls PreK-Grade 12. This camp offers both academic courses, courses for credit and other various classes such as art and sports. Full- and half-day schedules are available. Each class is taught by professional artists, instructors, or teachers.
References
- ↑ "AIS Facts and Figures - Agnes Irwin School". Retrieved 2012-06-03.
- ↑ Haas, Timothy, ed. (September 2006). "Top Schools: 2006". phillymag.com. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
- ↑ Haas, Timothy (September 2008). "Class Act". phillymag.com. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
External links
Coordinates: 40°01′42″N 75°21′01″W / 40.0283°N 75.3502°W