The Sisters of St. Ursula founded Notre Dame School in 1912 when they came to New York from France. The school began in their home and hence became known as Chez Nous, an affectionate way of referring to the school. Originally located at Our Lady of Lordes parish on West 142nd Street near Amsterdam Avenue, and then, in 1943, moved to West 79th Street and changed its name to Notre Dame Convent School. The Sisters transferred ownership of the school to an independent Board of Trustees in 1989, and the school moved again to 104 St. Marks Place in the East Village neighborhood. In 2002, the school moved to its current location at 327 West 13th Street in Greenwich Village.
Admission
Admission to Notre Dame School is based on performance on the TACHS and on the basis of prior school records. Students may list Notre Dame School as their first, second, or third choice. Students who are New Jersey Residents may take the COOP exam in place of the TACHS Exam. Notre Dame does not have a COOP code number. Letters of acceptance are mailed in the month of January and registration for incoming freshmen begin in the month of March.
Academics
Notre Dame School is a private, Catholic secondary school for girls. The enrollment is 355 with a student-faculty ratio of 13:1. Since its founding in 1912, education at Notre Dame has been characterized by close, family-like relationships between students and faculty. The educational program at Notre Dame is college preparatory and directed towards the development of each student as a whole person. Notre Dame seeks to help to meet the needs of each student intellectually, physically, socially, and spiritually. Notre Dame School has received accreditation from both Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and New York State Association of Independent Schools. A Notre Dame diploma is merited by the satisfactory completion of a secondary course of study totaling 27½ units. These units include those required by the New York State. The passing grade in each subject is 70%. Subjects offered at Notre Dame include English, where students study a range of famous classics from American Literature, British Literature, and World Literature, Religious Studies, where students are taught about the Catholic religion and World religions, Science, which include Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, Mathematics, consisting of Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry, Social Studies, American Studies, The Arts, Physical Education, Health Education, and Languages, which consists of French, Spanish, and Latin. Electives are also available. Advanced Placement courses and Honors courses are also available to students in their Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year. Notre Dame is also one of the few schools in the New York State that does not offer the Regents Examinations to students.
Extracurricular activities
Notre Dame offers a variety of clubs and extracurricular activities. Some of these clubs are Drama Club, Music Club, Speech and Debate Team, Dollars and Sense Business Club, and ND Cares, a service club. Sports include: JV and Varsity Basketball, JV and Varsity Volleyball, Softball, JV and Varsity Soccer, Cross Country and Track Students are also eligible to apply for the National Honor Society in their Junior year. Those who apply must have a 90% average or above. They must also manifest the qualities of Leadership, Character, Service, and Scholarship. By their Senior year, students must complete hours of service and will be rewarded with their Honor cords which they will wear at graduation. Students may also run for Student Council. Student Council members include a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Each homeroom also elect two representatives for their grade. The term of office is limited to one academic year. Executive council membership is limited to Juniors and Seniors.
