Why Choose Preston High School?
- “To see the needs and wants of others and to fill those needs” is the definition of compassion that the school inherits from its patron, Monsignor Preston. As applied to our program of study and personal development, this charism enlivens the educational philosophy of individualization for personal success, happiness, moral behavior and social responsibility.
- We offer an extensive selection of courses and activities in a welcoming and nurturing environment.
- Our co-curricular program of after-school clubs and organizations is inclusive and provides a means of personal expression and exploration of interests for our diverse student population.
- Our competitive sports program fields JV and Varsity teams in six sports and includes instruction and intramural competition in two additional sports clubs.
- We actively seek to connect our students to the many opportunities afforded by our proximity to Manhattan’s outstanding cultural institutions.
- PHS graduates are accepted to a wide range of colleges and universities, including some of the most selective schools in the nation. Alumnae consistently report back that they feel “well prepared” to handle the academic demands of their college curricula.
Why choose an all-girls school?
Educational research consistently supports the conclusion that female students thrive physically, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and socially in an all-girls educational environment. A recent national study conducted by UCLA’s Graduate School of Education & Information Studies indicates that “girls’ school graduates consistently assess their abilities, self-confidence, engagement and ambition as either above average or in the top 10 percent…They are more likely to pursue careers in engineering, engage in political discussions, keep current with political affairs, and see college as a stepping stone to graduate school” www.ncgs.org.
A study of over 4,000 girls’ school alumnae conducted by the Goodman Research Group in 2000 examined outcomes and attitudes at single-sex schools. The alumnae responses were overwhelmingly positive:
- 91% cited preparation for college and academic challenge as very good or excellent
- 88% would repeat their girls’ school experience
- 83% perceived themselves to be better prepared for college than female counterparts from co-educational high schools;
- 93% agreed that girls’ schools provide greater leadership opportunities than coed schools
- 13% intended to major in math or science—significantly more than among females nationally (2%)
Dr. Rosemary Salomone, a professor at St. John’s University School of Law, in her book Same, Different, Equal: Rethinking Single-Sex Schooling, writes:
“All-girls settings seem to provide girls a certain comfort level that helps them develop greater self-confidence and broader interests, especially as they approach adolescence. Research has found that single-sex schools and classes promote less gender-polarized attitudes toward certain subjects—math and science in the case of girls and language arts and foreign languages in the case of boys.”
A former girls’ school principal and later college professor, Dr. Robin Robertson described the way that graduates of all-girls schools stand out:
“As a college professor I could identify students from girls’ schools with a 90 percent accuracy rate on the first day of class. They were the young women whose hands shot up in the air, who were not afraid to defend their positions, and who assumed that I would be interested in their perspective” www.ncgs.org.
