At a Glance

Far Brook’s birthday cutoff is September 1 of the year the child will attend. By that date, applicants for full- or half-day Nursery 3s must be 3; applicants for full- or half-day Nursery 4s must be 4; and Kindergarten applicants must be 5. Rare exceptions are made at the discretion of the School. Nursery students must be toilet trained by the start of the school year.

Far Brook has three main entry points, Nursery 3s, Nursery 4s, and Kindergarten. All other spaces are made available by attrition of current students. We admit approximately 30-40 students each year to Nursery 3s, Nursery 4s, Kindergarten, and Grades 1 – 7.

Due to COVID-19, students may not be dropped off early. Prior to COVID-19, students could be dropped off at 7:45 am daily at no additional charge and supervised until classroom teachers are ready to receive students at 8:10 am.  A variety of After-School Enrichment classes are available daily from 3:30 pm until 4:30 pm (2:30 pm until 3:30 pm on Fridays) at an additional cost. Extended Care is available daily until 6:00 pm, also at an additional cost. All after-care programs are available on either a drop-in or pre-scheduled basis.

See also After School Program

Due to COVID-19, there is currently no bus service provided by South Orange/Maplewood. In a typical year, a bus is provided at no charge by the South Orange/Maplewood Board of Education to students in Grades K-8 (not Pre-K) who reside in Maplewood or South Orange.

Under the present laws of the State of New Jersey, certain towns are required to provide bus service or a transportation rebate to students who attend school outside of the district in which they live. Information on towns that offer this rebate is available through the Business Office. If your town is one of those listed, you must apply for the rebate by filling out the B6T form. You may fill it out online, but will need to print and sign it before sending it in.

Far Brook also contracts with a private company to provide bus transportation, for a fee, to students in other locations. The number of passengers and the bus route are determined annually based upon the number and geographic range of requests. Far Brook is only able to offer service to areas where a sufficient number of students request it.

Yes, Far Brook offers tuition assistance to families based on demonstrated financial need. In the 2020-2021 school year awards were granted to 18% of students. Awards were granted in every grade level and ranged from $4,150 to $43,650 with an average award of more than $26,000. In addition, more than $80,000 in emergency tuition assistance was awarded to current families impacted by COVID-19.

See Tuition Assistance for further information.

• Clothing should be easily laundered and functional. Working with paint, clay, Play-Doh, and colored markers is a daily experience for students.
• Sturdy, waterproof footwear is appropriate for our campus setting and varied terrain. Children walk from building to building over paved and gravel pathways daily.
• All clothing should be such that younger students can dress and undress themselves independently.
• Prioritizing functionality, modesty, and safety allows students to be comfortably and appropriately dressed for school.

Many students bring their lunch from home. Students in Grades K-8 may participate in our optional school lunch program, through Simply Gourmet. In a typical year, Far Brook provides a daily snack of apples and oranges as well as whole and skim milk, but for now this is suspended due to COVID-19. Peanuts and tree nut products are not permitted at Far Brook.

Far Brook was founded in 1948 by Winifred Moore, a visionary educator who felt that children are “capable of responses that are more profound than generally believed.” With that strong belief, Mrs. Moore devised a curriculum that exposed children to the arts and to great works of literature with the conviction that even the youngest children could synthesize, appreciate, and enjoy complex language and concepts. The rich curriculum she devised has evolved over the years but the philosophy of Far Brook is unchanged. Children are exposed to the traditional classics at a young age and are given opportunities to react to them, interpret them, and recreate what they have learned in imaginative, creative, hands-on, and age-appropriate ways. Far Brook’s appreciation for simplicity and our daily Morning Meeting remind some of the Quaker tradition, however, Far Brook is not a Quaker school and has no religious affiliation.

French is taught at all grades Far Brook. A Lower School French teacher works with students in Nursery – Grade 3 and an Upper School French teacher works with students in Grades 4 – 8. In addition, at the Fourth and Fifth Grade level the Language Program allows each student to experience one semester of French and one semester of Spanish during the school year.

Far Brook is a community of families from many cultural, racial, and religious backgrounds as well as a range of socio-economic levels and family structures. Approximately 47% of students may be identified as having partial or full heritage from continents other than Europe and Australia.

Yes. All students participate on Far Brook’s interscholastic athletic teams that play against a variety of local independent schools beginning in Grade 5. Boys play soccer in the fall and baseball in the spring, girls play field hockey in the fall and lacrosse in the spring. There is also a coed track and field team in the spring. Far Brook also offers basketball as part of the winter After School Sports program.

Far Brook students attend a range of highly regarded independent day schools, boarding schools, and public schools after Far Brook. Graduates are currently attending the following schools:

Independent Day Schools: Delbarton School, Fieldston School (NYC), Gill St. Bernard’s School, Kent Place School, LREI – Little Red Schoolhouse Elisabeth Irwin High School (NYC), Montclair Kimberley Academy, Morristown-Beard School, Newark Academy, Oak Knoll School, Oratory Preparatory School, The Pingry School.

Boarding Schools: Blair Academy, Deerfield Academy, The Lawrenceville School, Phillips Academy Andover, Phillips Exeter Academy.

Public Schools: Columbia High School (South Orange/Maplewood), Kaufman Special Music High School, Millburn High School, Summit High School, Westfield High School.

Far Brook works with families beginning in the Seventh Grade to prepare students and guide parents through the high school selection process. Far Brook provides workshops for parents and students, practice entrance exams, interview workshops, and other support.