Empowering Bright, Emotionally Complex Adolescents. Stevenson is a small, independent college preparatory high school in New York City designed for students navigating social-emotional challenges.
We provide a robust academic curriculum within a highly supportive therapeutic environment.
Our rolling admissions process ensures that students can access the support they need, when they need it.
Quick Stats (2025)
- Top Ranked NY School
- School Type: School with Special Program Emphasis
- Grades: 8-12
- Enrollment: 73 students
- Average class size: 8 students
- Application Deadline: None / Rolling
- Source: Verified school update
Top Rankings
Robert Louis Stevenson School ranks among the top 20% of private schools in New York for:
Category
Attribute
School History
School Overview
School Type
School Membership(s)School Assoc.
Religious Affiliation
Grades Offered
Grades 8-12
ADD/ADHD Support
Yes
Learning Difference Programs
Yes
Learning Programs Supported
Mild to moderate learning differences
Year Founded
1908
Summer School Offered
Yes
School Calendar
First Day of School
Tue. Sep 2, 2025
Student Body
Total Students
73 students
Student Body Type
Co-ed
% Students of Color
31%
State avg.: 40%
Students by Grade

Academics and Faculty
Total Classroom Teachers
20 teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
4:1
National avg.: 13:1
% Faculty w/Advanced Degree
85%
Average Class Size
8 students
Advanced Courses
Computer Science
Classroom Dress Code
Casual
Tuition and Acceptance Rate
Admission Deadline
None / Rolling
Tuition Notes
Although we are an independent school, many parents receive funding through the Special Education system
Admissions Associate
Ben Weeks
Application URL
Sports
Total Sports Offered
6 sports
Sports
Extracurriculars
Total ExtracurricularsTotal Extra-curric.
11 extracurriculars
ExtracurricularsExtra-curric.
Stevenson Book Club, Student Council, Yearbook Club
Club or Organization:
Art Club, Chess Club, GSA, Poetry Club, Student Council, Tabletop Games/D&D Club
Arts and Music Programs:
MOSAIC. Art Performance
Recreational Athletic Programs:
Team Sports
School Notes
- Stevenson is a small, independent college preparatory high school in New York City designed for students navigating social-emotional challenges. We provide a robust academic curriculum within a highly supportive therapeutic environment. Our rolling admissions process ensures that students can access the support they need, when they need it.
- Stevenson's academics develop student's interests and talents and prepare them for university curricula and campus life. Using best pedagogical practices, our school gives students daily practice in negotiating the demands they will encounter post high school-emotionally, socially, and intellectually.Principles of mindfulness and the language of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) are incorporated into academic classes.
- Stevenson students are bright, talented adolescents for whom the social and emotional pressures of the typical school environment have been particularly challenging. They are intelligent, social, resourceful, and creative. Many come from prestigious, competitive independent and public schools where they have demonstrated significant achievement in areas of particular interest. Students at Stevenson may be struggling with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, or friendships with peers. Some students also have learning differences. Stevenson has a diverse student body. We prize a culture of acceptance and believe it makes a meaningful difference to our community.
- Stevenson provides comprehensive therapeutic support that informs every aspect of our work with adolescents. Our school operates through three core components: 1. Rich Academic Content 2. Integrated Clinical Support 3. One-of-a-Kind Advising (three times a day). All of this comes together as students feel personally welcomed, re-engage with learning, and get back on track for college and life beyond high school.
Source: Verified school update
Frequently Asked Questions
What sports does Robert Louis Stevenson School offer?
Robert Louis Stevenson School offers 6 interscholastic sports: Basketball, Flag Football, Soccer, Softball, Track and Field and Volleyball.
What is Robert Louis Stevenson School's ranking?
Robert Louis Stevenson School ranks among the top 20% of private schools in New York for: Oldest founding date.
When is the application deadline for Robert Louis Stevenson School?
The application deadline for Robert Louis Stevenson School is rolling (applications are reviewed as they are received year-round).
School Reviews
5 6/3/2022
Stevenson is an excellent place to teach. The school is very good to its faculty and working conditions are well above most other peer schools. The head of the school is one of the best in the business. Class size is excellent and resources are abundant. This is truly one of the best places I have ever worked!
5 11/22/2020
My son pretty much missed all of middle school, refusing to go or trying to go but leaving after 1 or 2 classes. He was in horrible pain, unable to cope with the anxiety and depression he was experiencing. We came upon Stevenson and they have taken him from a 'no show' at school to the honor roll. Their care, patience, integrated therapeutic programs and high academic standards have taken a bright kid and given him the ability to succeed. He is now even talking about wanting to go to college! We love love Stevenson and can't say enough good things about the school, staff, faculty and students - it's a great community!
5 5/6/2018
I went to RLS many years ago, graduating in 1979. RLS remains a cornerstone of my life. Even now years later I remember it with the fondness one remembers ones own life. This was the period in which Lucille Rhodes was the driving psychological force behind the philosophy of the school - which was an open environment in which one could pursue one's own interests at ones own pace. RLS had about 67 students back then as I recall. In terms of "academic rigour" RLS was just right and it prepared me well for college. I went on to Vassar College and then to the University of Pennsylvania to earn a PhD in Philosophy and then a PhD in Psychology at Duke University. What did RLS teach me? A cynicism for the "system", a health scepticism for authority and a commitment to always be true to myself. These values I consider priceless.
5 5/17/2016
My son is very bright but was depressed, oppositional and failing all his classes at Bronx Science. We enrolled him at Stevenson, and though it was not an immediate, magical solution to all his problems, over time and with the help of its caring and seemingly infinitely patient teachers and staff, he really changed. Each kid is part of an advisory group that can become quite close, and there's constant feedback, including student-teacher--rather than parent-teacher--conferences when grades are handed out (in the form of very detailed reports). One of the most immediate benefits of sending your child to Stevenson: you will never be asked to be a homework-enforcer, which in itself cuts down on tension at home. This is not the most academically rigorous environment (e.g., they offer no foreign languages, no A.P. anything; with a student body of at most 75, they can't offer a wide range of courses), but it was the right place for my son, who will go to college in the fall (incidentally, Stevenson's faculty and staff work with your child to handle the college application process, another way they help cut down on parent-child friction). My son needed to be at a place where teachers would meet him halfway and work with him where he was, rather than being baffled that he wasn't like all the other kids--Stevenson was that place, and I can't be more grateful to them.
5 5/17/2016
My son was on the verge of dropping out, attending as few classes as possible. In Stevenson, he is thriving, participating in art projects, musical entertainments, sports and going to school willingly and joyfully! He's on the honor roll. Thank God for Stevenson. Our home is at peace and my son is more secure in his skin!
5 10/8/2015
RLSS has a warm,welcoming environment and a wonderful sense of community. I am delighted that I chose to have our child attend this amazing school. The teaching staff and advisers have a genuine interest in the kids. My child's attitude about school has changed tremendously. He wants to be on time for school, he is responsible for his homework, interested in his classes and he has joined the after school sports team. I highly recommend this school.
5 10/8/2015
They provide the academic and emotional support kids need to succeed! The new Headmaster of Stevenson is wonderful and the teachers are tremendously dedicated to their students.
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