“That’s it! I’ve got it!” There is nothing like seeing a child have a lightbulb moment of learning and discovery in the Lower School at Grace. Enter our exciting hallways and classrooms and you will see our students engaged in thoughtful inquiry, collaborative problem-solving and the ability to work creatively together as a team. In grades two through four, students begin to develop a true joy of learning, a curiosity and wonder of the natural world and the importance of taking care of one another with kindness, respect and empathy in our loving community. Students learn to advocate for themselves and begin establishing the skills to become engaged, thoughtful and independent thinkers. The core purpose of the Lower School curriculum is to instill a mindset in which students understand the important process of questioning, investigating, creating and collaborating with one another. Project-based, interdisciplinary learning provides children the opportunity to think creatively and be forward thinking in their learning approach. At Grace, children are encouraged to take risks and to develop resilience and grit as they understand that the process of what they are learning is much more significant than the final product. 

As Grace’s mission recognizes and celebrates the unique and special gifts of every student, differentiated instruction is essential for targeting student’s specific needs in the classroom. A variety of multi-sensory teaching approaches foster inquiry and learning in a multitude of different ways. Grace nurtures in its students a reliable, affectionate trust in themselves and their world, helping them to individually develop active ethical consciousness, supported with Judeo-Christian beliefs and enhanced by the beauty and faith evident in Grace Church. Students at Grace want to make the world a better place. As equity and inclusion are not only hallmarks of Grace but also of a just society, they are also virtues essential to effective learning. Members of the Lower School community are committed to the work of anti-racism and to the cause of justice, in which all students will know and share their special gifts with one another and experience a “call to serve the common good and dignity of humanity.”


© 2022 Grace Church School
Grace Church School is a co-educational independent school in downtown Manhattan, New York City providing instruction for nearly 800 students in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12.