A non-refundable application fee of $75 must accompany each application. This fee is waived if you are applying for tuition assistance. Please call the Office of Admission at 212.838.0205 to obtain a fee waiver code.

The tuition for the 2026-2027 academic year is $71,670.

Yes. We make every effort to meet the financial needs of qualified applicants. Tuition assistance is available for students at all grade levels and is awarded solely on the basis of need. Admission decisions are made independently of financial need. Please visit our tuition and financial aid webpage to learn more about the application process and requirements.

Applications for entry in 2027 will open on Monday, August 10, 2026.

The deadline to submit a preliminary application is Tuesday, December 1, 2026—but we encourage you not to wait. Tour and interview appointments fill up on a first-come, first-served basis, and once all slots are taken, we are unable to accept new applications.

Apply early to secure your appointments.

If appointments are full when your application is received, we will add you to a waitlist and reach out if a slot becomes available.

All applicant files must be completed by Friday, January 8, 2027.

Two required steps in our admission process for applicants to Grades K–8 are a school tour and a parent conversation. We believe that choosing a school is an important decision, and that families are best served when all parents and guardians are able to attend together—though we understand this is not always possible, and attendance by all is not mandatory.

We understand that work and childcare can make it difficult to attend in-person appointments, and we therefore offer Zoom options for parent conversations. For applicants to Grades 9–12, a parent conversation is not required, but we offer it as an opportunity for parents and guardians who would like to meet one-on-one with an admission officer.

Optional events are just that—optional. They are not a required part of the admission process and have no bearing on your son's application. We offer them simply because we want families to have as many opportunities as possible to get to know Browning and ask questions before making such an important decision. We hope you will join us at any events that are relevant or of interest to you, but please do not feel any pressure to do so.

We understand that your plans may change due to unforeseen circumstances, so please feel free call us if you need to reschedule an appointment. We will do our best to honor your scheduling requests and to find a new, mutually convenient time. **We kindly ask that you contact us at least three days in advance so that we may schedule another family in your place. If your son is sick, please do call us to reschedule his playgroup or visit. We are more than happy to have him come once he is healthy!

Browning's K-8 building is located at 52 East 62nd Street, between Park and Madison Avenues. Our Upper School is located at 337 East 64th Street, between First and Second Avenues. As our two buildings are several blocks apart, we encourage you to review your confirmation and reminder emails prior to your visit to ensure you are heading to the correct location.

There are several subway and bus lines conveniently located near both buildings:

52 East 62nd Street (Lower and Middle Schools, K-8)

• 4, 5, or 6 trains to 59th Street

• Q train to 63rd Street/Lexington Avenue

• M1 or M2 to Madison Avenue/58th Street

• M3 or M4 to Madison Avenue/57th Street

• M57 or M66 to Madison Avenue

337 East 64th Street (Upper School, Grades 9-12)

• 4, 5, or 6 trains to 59th Street

• Q train to 63rd Street/Lexington Avenue

• M15 to First Avenue/63rd Street

• M57 or M66 to First Avenue

We generally aim to enroll 22-26 students in Kindergarten, 6-8 in KinderFirst, and an additional 15 students in Grade 6.

We also enroll several boys in Grade 9 and encourage families who are interested in Browning to enter the application process with us for any grade, as we may experience attrition due to family relocations.

Kindergarten applicants must be five years old by December 31 of the year of entry, in keeping with the New York City public school system.

KinderFirst is a program designed for students who are ready to master both Kindergarten and Grade 1 concepts in a single year. To be eligible for consideration for entry in 2027, boys must be born between May 1 and December 31, 2021.

Our cutoff date is December 31, and we strive to have a well-balanced class with respect to the age range that is typically represented in Kindergarten classes. There are many boys with summer birthdays who are ready for the academic and social activities that we offer boys in their Kindergarten year at Browning.

We welcome applications from all families whose sons will turn 6 by December 31 of the year of entry, and are happy to answer specific questions parents may have about their son and their readiness.

All Kindergarten applicants must attend a 60-minute playgroup with up to five other boys. An admission evaluator leads the group in age-appropriate activities that allow us to get to know the boys in a relaxed setting. Boys should dress comfortably and be ready to have fun! There is no programming for parents or guardians during this appointment, so anyone can bring the child to his visit.

Early notification is available to sibling and legacy applicants to Kindergarten. Eligible families will be asked to indicate a preference for early or regular notification by Friday, November 13, 2026. Early notification decisions will be shared beginning at noon on Wednesday, December 9, 2026, and families are asked to reply by noon on Wednesday, December 16, 2026.

Please note that a preference for early notification does not guarantee admission, and sibling and legacy applicants are welcome to remain in the general pool if they prefer.

If your son is a sibling or legacy applicant, please contact the Office of Admission no later than October 1 of his application year.

Kindly refrain from submitting personal letters of recommendation or “first choice” letters. These letters will not be considered as part of an applicant's file. 

The only recommendations that we require are teacher recommendations that must be completed on the official forms from your account on Ravenna.  

We generally aim to enroll 22-26 students in Kindergarten, 6-8 in KinderFirst, and an additional 15 students in Grade 6.

We also enroll several boys in Grade 9 and encourage families who are interested in Browning to enter the application process with us for any grade, as we may experience attrition due to family relocations.

Welcoming new boys into the Browning community is something we take great care to get right. In the spring before a new student's first year, we host activities for both parents and boys to begin getting to know one another. In June, incoming Lower School boys have the opportunity to meet their future classmates and teachers through our summer programs. We work closely with division heads to assign new students to their advisors or homeroom teachers thoughtfully. New students in Grades 6 and 9 attend orientation with their entire grade, regardless of how long their classmates have been at Browning. Grade 9 students also participate in a class trip early in the fall to help the boys come together as a class.

Browning's warm and close-knit community embraces new students at every level. When you walk into our cafeteria, it is virtually impossible to distinguish new boys from those who have been with us for some time.

ISAAGNY (the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York) is a consortium of independent schools in the New York City area that share a common set of admissions standards and best practices. Member schools agree to a coordinated admissions calendar, which means that all ISAAGNY schools release decisions on the same date and observe the same reply deadlines. This ensures a fair and orderly process for families who are applying to multiple member schools at the same time. ISAAGNY also offers free resources to help families navigate the independent school admissions process.

In accordance with ISAAGNY, our notification dates for the 2026-2027 admission cycle are listed below.

Kindergarten: No earlier than 10 a.m. on Thursday, February 4, 2027

Grades 1-8: No earlier than 4 p.m. on Wednesday, February 10, 2027

Grades 9-12: No earlier than 4 p.m. on Friday, February 19, 2027

Sibling and legacy applicants to Kindergarten may opt for Early Notification, in which case they would receive a decision after noon on Wednesday, December 9, 2026.

Please note that you must log in to your account on Ravenna on the appropriate date in order to view the admission decision. 

There are three way syou can get in touch with our office:

1. call the Office of Admission at 212-838-0205,

2. email Esther Nunoo, Senior Admission Officer, at enunoo@browning.edu, or

3. email our general admission address at admission@browning.edu.

Browning's average class size is 32 students per grade level in the Lower School, and 45–50 in the Middle and Upper Schools. Students are typically divided into two homeroom and advisory sections in the Lower School and three in the Middle and Upper Schools. In the Upper School, there are approximately 14 advisories with no more than 10 boys in each.

Academic classes in the Lower and Middle Schools generally comprise 16–18 students. In the Upper School, class sizes range from 8 students in advanced-level courses to 17 in others. Some specialized courses—such as Applied Computer Science, Advanced Genetics Research, and independent study offerings—enroll even smaller groups.

Browning's student-to-teacher ratio is 6:1.

We believe homework should foster independent learning and reinforce key academic concepts.

In Grades 1-4, boys are assigned one or two daily review tasks to provide them with opportunities to practice retrieval of the material covered in school. The goal is for them to complete these tasks independently so that their teachers can assess their level of understanding. You’ve likely engaged with the research about how time spent reading closely relates to academic achievement, so we ask each boy to read daily for homework.

Middle School classes give 25-40 minutes of homework for each class meeting, while Upper School students can expect 30-45 minutes of homework for each class meeting. The work is meant to reinforce what was covered in class and introduce new topics for the boys to explore before they discuss it in greater depth the next day. Projects and take-home assessments may add to a boy’s workload at times as well. Reading is highly encouraged, as is following independent lines of inquiry.

The Department of Education (DOE) offers free yellow bus transportation to K – Grade 6 students within a defined geographic area. The NYC Bureau of Pupil Transportation sets the resident requirements for this service.

The DOE also provides MetroCards for boys of any grade level who reside within the five boroughs. The NYC Bureau of Pupil Transportation determines the guidelines as to who receives a full- or half-fare card and makes all final decisions regarding who is eligible for a MetroCard.

Please note that only one method of transportation may be selected, as per the DOE. (For example, a student who rides the DOE bus is not also eligible for a Metrocard.)

Browning also provides free private bus service for families that live downtown (below 40th Street).

Metrocards
Towards the end of this school year, arrangements for bus and subway passes will be made through our front office. Homeroom teachers distribute passes to eligible students in September and January. If a bus pass is lost, the loss should be reported to the Director of Operations who will submit a claim for replacement. Please note that the replacement cards are issued by the city only at the beginning of the next month after the loss is reported, so a student will have to pay for his own transportation until his replacement card arrives.

NYC Transportation policy for a Metrocard:

• Grades K-6: Students must reside one mile or more from school.

• Grades 7-12: Students must reside 1 1/2 miles or more from school.

Encore, an after school enrichment program, is available to our students in Kindergarten - Grade 4 every day until 4:45 p.m. Courses include athletics, robotics, performance, music classes, and quiet study. Students register at the beginning of each school term.