About New City School
New City School prides itself on providing a unique, thorough learning environment for preschool and kindergarten students through sixth grade. Our approach centers not only on facts and skills, but also on fostering a love for learning in every child. New City School students love to come to school!
Our task is both simple and complex. It’s simple because the joyful learning, academic challenge, and the appreciation for diversity that characterizes us is easy to convey and shines through in everything we do at New City School. But it’s complex, too, because we work to prepare students to succeed in life—not just in school—and that’s not easy to capture.
Whether you are a prospective parent considering preschool, kindergarten, or older children; whether you are an educator seeking to observe creative and effective ways to help students learn; or whether you are someone who simply believes that education can make a difference in the world—we welcome the opportunity to invite you through our big red doors to see just what makes New City School such a special place to learn and grow.
Alexis Wright, Head of School
After a nation-wide search in 2016, Alexis was unanimously selected by New City School’s Board of Trustees to serve as New City’s 5th Head of School, succeeding Tom Hoerr who previously led New City for 34 years. Prior to New City School, Alexis served as Dean of Children’s Programs at Bank Street College of Education in New York City. Bank Street College is an internationally recognized institution devoted to early childhood education and teacher preparation and development.
Alexis began his career in education as a 5th and 6th Grade science teacher at Rye Country Day School, in Rye, NY, where he also coached middle school baseball and football. He then moved into a leadership role as Middle School Principal before moving to Chicago to become Principal of the Middle School at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. After three years in that position, Alexis was recruited back to Rye Country Day, where he served as the Assistant Head of School and Director of Financial Aid before moving to Bank Street College.
Alexis is a trustee on the board of ERB (Educational Records Bureau), a member organization that provides admissions and achievement assessments and instructional services for schools and students. Alexis is also a member of the boards of trustees of the St. Louis Association of Independent Schools (ISSL) and the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), the regional association that provides professional development and accreditation services for member schools. Alexis has presented on topics such as leadership and diversity at annual conferences of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and he is a contributing author to the recent NAIS publication Diversity Work in Independent Schools.
Originally from New York City, Alexis earned his MA in Marine Affairs and Policy from the University of Miami (FL) and earned a BS in Human Ecology from Rutgers University (NJ). Alexis and his wife have two daughters, one of whom is a graduate of New City School (the other still has some time before graduation!)