Lower Division

Overview

The Lower Division welcomes approximately 460 children, ages five through eleven, in Kindergarten through Grade 5. The school creates a dynamic and supportive environment where students stretch themselves and take healthy risks as they explore the world around them. The program incorporates elements of traditional and structure with innovation and enrichment that make learning come to life within a supportive community.

An Interdisciplinary Academic Foundation

The Horace Mann School Lower Division provides a strong academic foundation of intellectual and creative pursuits with a focus on ongoing skill development. This encompasses a wide range of studies, including language arts, social studies, mathematics, science, world languages, library, STEAM, physical education, and the visual and performing arts.

Students in Kindergarten through Third Grade are taught in self-contained classrooms, which balances the security of a cohesive, stationary environment with activities promoting collaboration and socialization with students from other grade-level homerooms. Our Fourth and Fifth Grade students operate on a departmental schedule, receiving instruction from five different subject-area teachers over the course of a school day. This structure fosters the development of organizational and executive functioning skills, allowing for a smoother transition to the Middle Division.

The academic curriculum at the Lower Division is designed to be highly enriched with endless possibilities. The foundations of learning in the academic disciplines are established in the early grades and are supplemented through interdisciplinary experiences. Attention to varied learning styles is integrated into everyday class work and is supported by specialists. For an in-depth look at our academics, view our Lower Division Curriculum Guide.

Our Expansive Facilities

The Lower Division campus is in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, occupying the site of the former Barnard School. The main Lower Division building houses classrooms for Grades 1-5, as well as the library, gymnasium, cafeteria, arts and technology center, music room, nurse's office, modern language classrooms, literacy center, math center, science center, and administrative offices. Two of the school's five kindergarten classes are housed in freestanding cottages. Outdoor facilities at the Lower Division include the Grasshopper field (a synthetic turf play surface), large playground, Butterfly Hill, and the O'Neill Arboretum.

Spotlight on Social-Emotional Learning

Horace Mann School recognizes the critical role that emotions play in both academic and personal success. In 2015, the Lower Division formalized a structured approach to emotional intelligence by spearheading the school's partnership with renowned educator and researcher Dr. Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

Noting the profound impact Dr. Brackett's RULER program has had on HM teachers over the past decade, Head of Lower Division Deena Neuwirth said, “The foundation of RULER is understanding how we want to feel at school. In the Lower Division, nothing has been so critical to our students than this. Our students are learning how to balance academic rigor with learning how to manage the full range of emotions—from disappointment to happiness.”

By integrating the program's practices into everyday life, HM continues to emphasize that academic rigor and social-emotional learning go hand in hand, preparing students not only for school success but for life. Learn more about how RULER practices are woven into the Lower Division in the video above.