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Hopkins School

Private K-12 School

Mailing Address
96 Knollwood Drive
New Haven, Connecticut 06515
Phone
(203) 397-1001
Email address
pmckenna@hopkins.edu
School Information
"Hopkins School, the 3rd oldest independent school in the country, has a distinguished history that spans more than 360 years. Hopkins is an independent, gender-inclusive, college-preparatory day school for grades 7-12. Located on a 108-acre campus overlooking New Haven, the School takes pride in its distinguished faculty and dedicated staff. Students who need and love a challenge flourish at Hopkins. We are a hub of intellectual curiosity where families, students and invested educators work together in our collective pursuit of excellence" (Source: https://www.hopkins.edu/about-us). Hopkins has a total enrollment of 715. The faculty totals 138 and the student to faculty ratio is 5 to 1. Hopkins offers 199 courses.
General Information
Hopkins has held numerous events incorporating anti-racism and DEI. Hopkins has also created a strategic plan which involves faculty and staff reading requirements. In addition, Hopkins asked all students, faculty, and staff to watch a movie exploring racism. Hopkins is working to implement DEI and anti-racist concepts into its curriculum, and currently offers a course which explicitly explores Critical Race Theory. At this time, no mandatory Critical Race Training is yet required of students. However, see developments below:

Actions Taken

Admissions Policies
  • The school's admissions page includes a "Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion." It states, Hopkins "actively seeks and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion as vitally important to our present and future success, and it is inseparable from our dedication to academic excellence." It also seeks to "elevate and center historically marginalized perspectives while celebrating Hopkins’ storied history, recognizing the productive tensions held within a school both forward-thinking and rich in tradition."
Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
  • Hopkins states, "Through our Office of Equity and Community, we will design and launch educational and community-based workshops for current Hopkins parents, which will focus on race, identity, and diversity."
  • On August 1, 2020, Hopkins released a statement on Facebook stating, "Through our Office of Diversity and Equity, we will design and launch educational and community-based workshops for current Hopkins parents, which will focus on race, identity, and diversity." This post was also featured on its Instagram account.
  • On June 25, 2020, Hopkins announced on Instagram that it would hold "a series of Media Based Conversations focusing on Understanding and Addressing Racial Injustices in America."
  • In 2017, a school program was held by the Anti-Defamation League about "uprooting bias and prejudice in a community." The event concluded as students were "encouraged to come up to one of three microphones at the front of Assembly to speak about their experiences facing bias, prejudice, and discrimination in the Hopkins community."
Curriculum Changes and Requirements
  • Hopkins states that, "We will re-examine our curriculum to incorporate a social justice lens, de-center Anglo-European voices, and elevate all voices. This will also include a race and representation audit in our English and History Departments. Additionally, we will create a new interdisciplinary course on social justice."
  • The school's curriculum includes a class titled "Introduction to Social Justice." The class is offered for grades 10-12 and utilizes "Social Justice Standards including Identity, Diversity, Justice, and Action to ground our exploration of injustice in our world." Furthermore, the class covers the topics of "Critical Race Theory, economic systems, Environmental Justice, inequities in Education and Health, bias in the Media, and more."
  • The English Curriculum offers classes such as "Queer Literature," "Post-Colonial Literature," "Native American Literature," and "Race, Identity, and Power In Shakespeare" among others, which discuss topics of race, gender, sexuality, and decolonization in literature.
Faculty/Staff Requirements
  • Hopkins will implement "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training for hiring committees."
  • Hopkins will provide cultural competency and culturally responsive teaching practices training to all administrators, faculty, staff, and coaches.
Political Actions and Support for Anti-Racism
  • The Hopkins School paper, "The Razor," released a paper titled "Defund the Police." The paper expressed dissatisfaction with legislation that would require "anti-bias training to combat implicit racism and racial profiling" because "abolitionists know [it] will fail to prompt change because of the all-encompassing nature of a police officer’s job." The article stated, "Generic training will not prevent racist actions of police officers" and "the police force is historically rooted in racism towards people of color and white supremacy—another reason abolitionists cite for defunding the police." The article was released in 2020.
Resources
  • The Conversations on Race Program offers a few resources discussing race and cultural competency.
  • The school's Strategic Plan was released in 2024. One of the goals is to "Develop a holistic plan for Community, Well-being, & Belonging, with a focus on mental and physical health, academic support, diversity programs, and advisory."
  • Many clubs and activities relating to DEI are available for students, including "Equity in Medicine," "Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services Club," "Black Student Union," "Dreaming of Palestine," "Feminism Coalition," and "Young Democratic Socialists" among others.
Symbolic Actions
  • All students, faculty, and staff watched the movie, "I'm Not Racist, Am I?" This was part of Hopkins' Conversations on Race Program which began in 2015.
  • On July 9, 2020, Hopkins released a statement saying, "In our roles as President of the Committee of Trustees and the Head of School, we hold ourselves accountable for creating an inclusive and anti-racist culture at Hopkins. Over the past month, we, along with our colleagues, have been actively listening to and learning from our Black students and alumni. From impassioned letters and petitions, to candid conversations, to the poignant stories we continue to read via the Black@Hopkins Instagram account, we truly appreciate the honesty and strength of our students and alumni." This post was featured on its Facebook and Instagram account.
  • On June 11, 2020, Hopkins highlighted the commencement speech on Facebook with a sentiment "acknowledging the pain of racial injustice." This post was also featured on its Instagram account.
  • On June 2, 2020, Hopkins announced on Instagram, "We, at Hopkins, stand united against bias, hate and violence. We refuse to remain silent when Black people are criminalized and killed."
  • In 2024, the school held a "Black Commencement Ceremony" to honor "students belonging to the Black diaspora." The ceremony celebrated the "unwavering determination" of black students and the "perseverance throughout their high school career." It also served as "a tribute to Black cultural heritage."
Last updated February 13th, 2025
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