Our Mission
The mission of The Pingry School is to foster in students a lifelong commitment to intellectual exploration, individual growth, and social responsibility by inspiring and supporting them to strive for academic and personal excellence within an ethical framework that places the highest value on honor and respect for others.
Our School mission is exemplified on campus on a daily basis—from teachers who motivate their students to achieve more than they thought was possible, to the thoughtful discussions of classmates asking how they can support one of their peers.
Our mission is also essential to realizing our vision: preparing students to be global citizens and leaders in the 21st century. In preparing our students to succeed in the future, we focus on four key pillars:
Our History
Since 1861
1861
Our Founding
Over 160 years ago, Dr. John Francis Pingry founded a school with a broad vision and roots that extended well beyond academics. Beginning with a commitment to classical education, Dr. Pingry envisioned an institution that would not only foster intellectual vigor, but also instill in its students a sense of honor, strength of character, and a commitment to service both to the nation and the world.
- 1860s
1893
Parker Road Campus Opening
Not long after formally tendering his letter of resignation, Dr. Pingry had the honor and gratification of laying the cornerstone for the school's new Parker Road Campus—located in Elizabeth, like the Mechanic Street schoolhouse and the Westminster Avenue property preceding it—on November 15, 1892. By April 1893, classes were being held on the new three-acre campus, under the leadership of Headmaster William H. "Pa" Corbin, Yale football hero.
- 1890s
1926
The Honor Code
In 1926, Pingry’s students took the commitment to integrity to an even higher level by establishing an official Honor Code for the School. The students themselves were responsible for making the Honor Code an integral part of daily life at Pingry.
- 1920s
1953
Move to Hillside Campus
Prior to World War II, it was evident to the Board of Trustees that the Parker Road Campus was not adequately meeting the needs of an ever-growing Pingry. The cessation of wartime hostilities and expanding enrollment reinforced the urgency of these needs. Facilities were in sore need of repair and maintenance, and the student body was increasing in size.
- 1950s
1974
Short Hills Campus Merger
Another new chapter for Pingry occurred in the 1970s, when the School merged with Short Hills Country Day School, creating a dedicated elementary school campus.
- 1970s
1974
Transition to Coeducation
Another major change occurring this same year was the official welcoming of female students, as the girls from the Short Hills Country Day School (which was co-ed) became Pingry students following the merger of the two schools. With the start of the 1974-1975 school year, The Pingry School began considering both boys and girls in all grades for admission, and by September 1974, 101 new girls were enrolled at Pingry.
- 1970s
1983
Martinsville Campus Opening
Another long-anticipated move took place in 1983, when Forms I through VI moved to an even more expansive campus in Martinsville. An idea envisioned by Trustee Bill Beinecke and communicated to then-Chair of Pingry's Board of Trustees, Bob Parsons, the nearly 200-acre new campus in Bernards Township provided space for state-of-the-art facilities, including an almost 25 percent larger school building, more open classrooms, playing fields, tennis courts, two indoor gymnasiums, a large auditorium, and on-site swimming pool.
- 1980s
2003
Building the Hostetter Arts Center
Hostetter Arts Center (HAC), considered a significant feature of Headmaster John Hanly's legacy, had a two-fold purpose: bolstering the arts facilities on campus and creating additional space for the rest of the school
- 2000s
2007
Carol and Park B. Smith ’50 MS
In 2007, a new facility, The Carol and Park B. Smith ’50 Middle School, was constructed on the Martinsville Campus, providing Middle School students with their own dedicated classrooms and community space.
- 2000s
2012
Beinecke House is Dedicated
A new home for Pingry’s Head of School was made possible by Honorary Trustee William S. Beinecke ’31, whose foresight, generosity, and leadership had also helped to make the Bernards Township Campus a reality nearly 30 years earlier. The Head had previously lived in a house on the Short Hills Campus.
- 2010s
2013
Martinsville Campus Becomes Basking Ridge
In 2013, the Martinsville Campus made another move of sorts. . . Pingry’s Martinsville P.O. box was exchanged for a numbered street address in Basking Ridge.
- 2010s
2015
Short Hills Campus Modernization
Beginning in the winter of 2014, a top-to-bottom renovation of all but the gymnasium and music wing on the Short Hills Campus began. The majority of construction occurred over just seven weeks during the summer of 2015. Renovations of the gym and music rooms followed a year later, in the summer of 2016.
- 2010s
2017
Athletics Center Completion
One of the more significant projects that resulted from Pingry’s largest capital campaign to date—the Blueprint for the Future Campaign—this 44,000-square-foot multi-sport athletics facility honors Pingry’s most senior faculty member and beloved coach, mentor, and friend.
- 2010s
2021
Pottersville Campus Acquisition
On Friday, August 27, 2021, The Pingry School acquired the 83-acre campus of the Purnell School, which shut its doors after the 2020-21 school year.
- 2020s