Greens Farms Academy (GFA) is a PreK-12

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

preparatory

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compa ...

in the

Greens Farms Green's Farms is the oldest neighborhood in the town of Westport in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It was listed as a census-designated place prior to the 2020 census. Geography Boundary The boundaries of the neighborhood, like ...

section of

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. History ...

, drawing 715 students from numerous towns across

Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,921. ...

. Greens Farms Academy is located on a 42-acre campus overlooking the Long Island Sound, a

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...

and an Audubon woodland. Greens Farms Academy is located less than five minutes walking distance away from the Metro North train station.

History

Founded in 1925 as The Bolton School in 1925 by Mrs. Mary E.E. Bolton and her sister, Miss Katherine Laycock. The founders’ main goal was to educate Bolton’s 2 daughters. At the end of the first year, there was 14 girls enrolled in the all woman's preparatory school. The name was then changed to the Kathleen Laycock Country Day School as the sisters moved the school to a 26 acre campus, sold to them by the Bedford/Vanderbilt family. In 1969, the trustees voted to admit males. Believing that it would be difficult to attract male students to “The Kathleen Laycock Country Day”, the school was renamed to Greens Farms Academy and in September 1970, 23 young men joined 300 young women at the school.

Facilites

Located on a 44 acre campus, the school borders 3 ecosystems: the salt marsh, Audubon woodland, and the Long Island School. The main building is a Gilded Age mansion designed by architect Harrie T. Lindberg, the Stamford White protegé who was called “the American Lutyens”. The Greens Farms MetroNorth train station is located roughly 370 steps from the campus. Recent construction includes a stunning new Performing Arts Center, including a state-of-the-art theatre, a scene/STEAM shop, and a Global Studies Center—all topped by solar panels and a living roof. There’s also a squash center, a new wrestling gym, and a sparkling new fitness center.

References

Buildings and structures in Westport, Connecticut Schools in Fairfield County, Connecticut Private high schools in Connecticut Educational institutions established in 1925 Private middle schools in Connecticut Private elementary schools in Connecticut 1925 establishments in Connecticut {{Connecticut-school-stub