In May, 1965, the trustees of the AKC Fund, Inc. gave 63 acres of the Alice S. Coffin estate, Portledge, and all the buildings on this land, to the adjoining Miss Stoddart’s School for Very Little People for the purpose of establishing a coeducational college preparatory day school. Portledge found its early mission aiming at “providing an atmosphere of warmth and friendliness where the joy of learning and excitement of discovery are encouraged, shared and emphasized equally with the acquisition of knowledge, academic skills and the rigor of intellectual discipline.” The main residence was renovated during the summer, and Portledge School opened in September under the guidance of headmistress Mary F. Jonathan with one hundred children in nursery, kindergarten, first and second grades. Thereafter, a grade was added each year until the first senior class graduated in 1976.
The next two decades marked an era where Portledge established strong foundations, as the school expanded enrollment and facilities, broadened the academic programs and identified educational leaders who would direct the school during the formative years. By 1970, the Lower School had been completed with a library, dining facilities, a gymnasium/auditorium and additional classrooms. At the same time, the original Miss Stoddart’s School building had been transformed into the headmaster’s residence, Stoddart House. Also in that same year, David S. Staples, who had taught at Exeter and had been the assistant headmaster at the Key School, became the school’s headmaster. David was instrumental in seeing the school through its early expansion, as he oversaw the creation of both the Middle and Upper School divisions, and their respective buildings that provided classrooms, a library, science laboratories and gymnasium. While the campus was growing in its physical plant during the 1970’s, the later part of the decade was highlighted by the hiring of Huson Gregory as the school’s third Head of School.
In 1977, Huson R. Gregory, who had been Director of Guidance and an English teacher at Princeton Day School in Princeton, New Jersey joined the Portledge community. His leadership would span almost three decades, leaving an imprint on the school that will be forever felt. Hugh’s first charge handed down by the school’s Board of Trustees was to take his prior experience in private schools and help build a college preparatory curriculum at Portledge. Hugh’s effort to create a rigorous academic program that was vertically integrated through all divisions was a shared venture with two of his early hires. David Hoyler was named the Director of Middle and Upper School in 1980, serving in that post until 2010, and Lisa Cermak was appointed Director of Lower School in the same decade. The three would collaborate in the construction of Portledge’s academic “blueprint” that focused on preparing students for entrance into the elite colleges and universities of the nation, while maintaining the community feel that Mary Jonathan established during the school’s inception. Curt Sawyer was added to the faculty in the early 1980’s as well, taking on the responsibility of Director of Athletics. Curt was instrumental in building an athletic program that provided Portledge students with competitive interscholastic sports. He was critical to the creation and maintenance of the school’s athletic fields and facilities which would grow to include a Lower School gym, Middle and Upper School gym, three full scale fields and five tennis courts. This core administrative group was supported by the faculty who worked at the school during the late 20th century, further establishing the school as a competitive college prep school and allowing the name and recognition of Portledge to expand throughout the independent school and collegiate communities.
The more recent history for Portledge has witnessed continued institutional growth as the school prepares for the 50th anniversary in 2015. The Trustees of the late 1990’s focused on raising capital for the school endowment and campus restorations. The school invested the raised capital into the Middle School building and in summer of 2000 completed Phase I of the Carriage House expansion that included new classrooms and Bahnik Hall, an all-purpose auditorium. The groundbreaking for Phase II of the Carriage House expansion occurred in August 2002, and the construction was completed by early fall 2003. The expansion provides outstanding facilities for the Middle School, including eight new classrooms and two new science labs, as well as dedicated space for instruction in music, studio arts, and computer. The new building, dedicated as the Huson R. Gregory Carriage House in recognition of the 29 years of service that Headmaster Gregory gave to Portledge, would also have a new leader. Susan Edwards-Bourdrez came to Portledge in 1983 and helped to shape the foreign language department serving as both teacher and later department head. She was appointed to the Middle School Division Head in 2005 and in that capacity has worked to strengthen the intellectual and social atmosphere while nurturing and challenging students as they transition from childhood to young adulthood. In that same year Mr. Gregory was succeeded by Steven L. Hahn, who had served for nineteen years as the head of Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts. Under Steve’s first year of stewardship, the community undertook a review of the school’s strategic plan and collaborated on the creation of a new mission statement that helped to highlight key institutional qualities as well as establish both long and short term goals. Steve has worked closely with the trustees, helping them to fully understand the scope of their leadership and what makes good independent school governance. The cooperative endeavor has allowed for critical growth in the past several years focusing on the expansion of Upper School enrollment, curricular development at the Lower School level, a strengthening of athletics and identifying “next generation” divisional leaders. Steve’s presence at Portledge has helped to attract two new dynamic figures at the critical positions, Harry Grzelewski (Upper School Division Head) and Alan Cohen (Lower School Division Head). Currently, Steve is in his final year of service, following a lifetime of leadership in the independent school world. In November 2011, Simon Owen-Williams, Head of the Carlisle School in Martinsville, Virginia, was appointed incoming Head of School and will officially become Portledge's fifth Head of School on July 1, 2012.
At present, Portledge is a community of four-hundred students and faculty in pre-nursery through twelfth grade. Through all three divisions Portledge prides itself on strong student-teacher relationships, awareness of the development of young children and adolescents, and the structure and support that enable students to take risks and build confidence to meet high expectations of scholarship and citizenship.
Portledge is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the New York State Association of Independent Schools, the Green Schools Alliance, and the College Board. Portledge has its absolute charter granted by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York, is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools, and is registered as an approved, accredited secondary school by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.