for the publique service of the country in future tymes."
- Edward Hopkins
In 1660, Edward Hopkins, the second governor of the Connecticut Colony, established our nation’s first charitable trust to found Hopkins Grammar School on the New Haven Green. The School began with a dedication to the “breeding up of hopeful youths. . . for the public service of the country in future times.” More than three centuries later, Hopkins School continues to fulfill its original mission, and “hopeful” – connoting both the promise and the expectation of future good – remains the word that defines our educational approach and animates our aspirations.
Today, Hopkins is a traditional, independent, coeducational day school of 650 students in grades 7-12. Located on a 108-acre campus overlooking New Haven, the School takes pride in its distinguished faculty and a dedicated staff. We define ourselves as a community of civility and learning, one that educates students from diverse backgrounds to a full measure of their talents and humanity. Together, we seek to:
- develop in our young people the habits of mind of scholars as the foundation for a lifelong love of learning
- foster the courage to live and think as distinct individuals who embrace their responsibilities in the larger world
- expose every student to the deep satisfaction that derives from service to others
- enlarge the educational experience to include the creative joy and aesthetic sensibility of the artist, and the vitality and competitive spirit of the athlete
- provide, through the School’s advisers, the wisdom and goodwill necessary to guide our young people to confident self-reliance
- nurture the development of character essential to leading a rich and purposeful life
