Horizons At Brunswick
Advancing Educational Equity in Greenwich for 12 Years
Horizons at Brunswick advances educational equity in Greenwich through a long-standing coordinated relationship between Brunswick School and the Greenwich Public Schools.
We provide year-round academic and enrichment opportunities for K-8 boys from under-resourced communities, helping them stay on track, build confidence, and prepare for long-term success.
Performance Increase in Math Intervention Students
Students from our Original Cohort Who Applied to College Were Accepted
Students Graduated from Horizons Headed to GHS in the Fall.
Performance Increase in Reading Intervention Students
Snapshot of our Summer 2025 Results
The Problem
Nearly 7% of Greenwich residents live below the poverty line, and 20% of public school students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Pandemic learning loss set students back 4–5 months in reading and math with an even greater setback for those facing educational inequity. Two-thirds of Horizons students begin the program performing at or below grade level.
The Opportunity
With input from the Greenwich Public Schools, we identify and address the needs of our students* to help close the opportunity gap in our community. (*During the school year, our students largely attend Julian Curtiss, Hamilton Avenue, New Lebanon elementary schools and Central and Western middle schools.)
The Results
Students improve in reading and math scores over the course of our six-week summer session. Schools see an increase in attendance. Students gain a love of learning, a basic understanding of water safety and swimming skills, and improved self-esteem.
The Only Program Like Ours in the Community
What We do
Our Year-Round Model
This nine-year model helps students advance each year, fosters deep relationships, and prepares them for Greenwich High School success.
Six Week Summer Program
- Daily High-Quality Focused Curriculum: Reading, Writing, STEAM and Arts
- Sessions with Reading Specialists and Math Interventionists
- Swimming and Water Skills Instruction
- 4:1 Student-Teacher Ratio
- Martial Arts, Music, Chess, Creative Drama, Golf
- Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Full Bus Transportation, Weekly Field Trips
- Curriculum Designed to Support Greenwich Public Schools' Academic Goals using Best Practices from the Public Schools and Brunswick School
School-Year Saturdays
- Six Family Education Saturdays During the School Year
- Continuing Academic Enrichment for Students, STEAM challenges
- Bilingual Educational Parent Workshops
- Weekly Tutoring Sessions with Manhattanville College Masters' Students
- Healthy Breakfast and Snacks
Why We're Different
Our Unique Strengths
Our program ensures each boy advances to the next grade level, and at the same time, becomes inspired by the joy of learning.
Enrollment
With the help of Greenwich public schools, we target boys performing below – or barely maintaining – grade level and qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Earlier Start
We begin right after kindergarten, when early intervention matters most.
Nine Year Relationships
We commit for nine years to huild consistency and trust.
Goal: Pathway to GHS Success
Unlike other programs focused on private school admission, our goal is to keep students at or above grade level so they’re ready for each grade—and ultimately, Greenwich High School.
Individuals and Families Served
Most of our students come from Greenwich Title I schools: Julian Curtiss, New Lebanon, Hamilton Avenue, and Western Middle School. With donor support, we’ve expanded our reach to other public schools in Greenwich, ensuring more students gain access to the opportunities we provide.
Horizons Students Attend These Greenwich Public Schools
Race/Ethnicity of Horizons Students
Highest Level of Education for Horizons' Parents
A Documented Need in our Community
Greenwich, CT
Identified Needs
Every 5 years, the Greenwich United Way conducts a Needs Assessment Survey indicating the most pressing areas of concerns in Greenwich with the hope that the community can use this information to develop impactful solutions. The most recent assessment, conducted in 2020, identified several areas of concern related to education including:
Economic Disparity
There is significant economic disparity within the Greenwich Public School district. Twenty percent of all Greenwich public school students qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program. In some schools, more than half the student body qualifies. But in other district schools, this group makes up just 1% of the student body.
Opportunity Gap
The “opportunity gap” draws attention to the conditions and obstacles that students face throughout their educational careers. The United Way Assessment cites, “English proficiency, community wealth, familial situations, and other factors contribute to or perpetuate lower educational aspirations, achievement, and attainment for certain groups of students… Data shows racial disparities within our public school system with average test scores for Black and Hispanic students lower in English, Math, and Science than their White counterparts.”
Addressing Education
Although interviewees recognized education as an area where persistent inequality in Greenwich presents some of its greatest challenges, they also cited it as an “area of opportunity in which unequal outcomes for Greenwich residents can be most effectively addressed.”
LEADERSHIP
Leadership
Board Of Directors
Jeffrey Pribyl, Board Chair
Angelique Bell, Co Vice-Chair
Kirsten Riemer, Co Vice-Chair
Lisa Johnston, Secretary
Frank Carroll, Treasurer
Nicole Allen
Nancy Better
Bob Blanch
Gretchen Bylow
Jill B. Ciporin
Lisa Errico
Patrick Fels
Ellen Flanagan
Lourdes Marti
Lisa G. Matthews
Amy McGrath
Patricia McGuire
Beth Miranda
Jill Oberlander
Betsy O’Reilly
Ex Officio
Voting Member:
Thomas W. Philip, Head of School, Brunswick School
Non-Voting Members:
Marianne Ho Barnum, Outgoing Executive Director
Jay Crosby, Executive Director
Kathleen Harrington
Kathleen Signer
Advisory Board
Terry Boyd
Jill and John Coyle
B. Cort Delany
James DeNaut
Maryellen Feeley
Carlos Hernandez
Sally Mann
Suzanne Peisch
Angela Riera
Jeanne Savitt
Charles M. Shaffer III
Roberth Taylor
Dee Winokur
Support Us
Partnership and Funding
Interested in supporting, applying, or volunteering? Contact us to learn how you can help make a difference in Greenwich.
Contact:
Jay Crosby, Executive Director
jcrosby@brunswickschool.org
Annual Giving
Brunswick School generously provides facilities and infrastructure, with all program costs including salaries covered through private philanthropy
Endowment
We aim to build a $5 million endowment; an anonymous supporter has already pledged $1 million to get us started.
