1894: Kent Place opens its doors to 60 girls.
1904: Enrollment increases steadily. The trustees, then known as shareholders of the Summit School Company, initiate matching growth in the physical plant. Construction of the gymnasium is completed, later restructured to become part of what is now the Arts Center.
1913: The School House, which was also known as the Main Building and is now the Middle School, is built.
1917: Despite the school’s growth, finances are a major source of concern. The trustees dissolve the Summit School Company and reorganize Kent Place School as a nonprofit corporation.
1924: Hundreds of Kent Place alumnae go on to attend 21 different colleges, including Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe, Smith, Vassar, Wellesley and Wells.
1924–1965: Kent Place continues to grow in number of students, in facilities and in reputation.
1939–1945: During World War II, courses in first aid and motor mechanics are added to the curriculum. Kent Place takes in British girls to keep them safe during the WWII Blitz.
1965: Installation of Kent Place’s first Headmaster, Macdonald Halsey.
1968: After 74 years, boarding at KPS ends.
1984: The successful 90th Anniversary Capital Campaign brings about the construction of the Field House and the Arts Center.
1987: Kent Place launches The Campaign for Endowment, raising more than $5 million for scholarships and faculty support.
1991: The school becomes a founding member of the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools.
1993: The new Primary School building was completed.
1995: Creation of the
Girls’ Leadership Institute, a renowned summer program for girls.
1996: Installation of Kent Place’s first African-American Head of School, Karan Ashford Merry.
1999: Susan Collins Bosland becomes Interim Head of School. She is inducted as the 10th Head of School in 2000.
2000: Our
1:1 Laptop Program begins in the Upper School, one of the first of its kind in New Jersey.
2007: Kent Place breaks ground on a 45,000-square-foot addition to the Main Building and launches a $25 million capital campaign. The largest fundraising effort in the history of the school, The Campaign for Kent Place School, “Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders,” sets the stage for multiple capital projects as well as an increase in Kent Place’s endowment.
2007: The
Ethics Institute, a first-of-its-kind program at the primary and secondary school levels, promotes the process and practice of ethical decision-making.
2009: The new Upper School opens its doors, showcasing state-of-the-art classrooms, university-level science laboratories and an impressive music center. With Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, the Upper School now features modernized recycling capabilities, practices for energy and water conservation, electricity produced by wind power, and improved indoor air quality.
2010: The Middle School moves into the renovated Main Building. In addition to classrooms and laboratories, the Middle School houses The Ethics Institute, a STEM lab and a fully restored commons area known as Atwood Hall.
2010: KPS introduces "Uniform with Choice" for the Primary and Middle Schools.
2014: Kent Place joined 28 other schools across the nation to become a charter member of the EPA's Green School Renewable Energy Purchasing Consortium.
2016: Breaks ground for the Center for Innovation, a 32,508-square-foot learning center focusing on the study of STEAM subjects. Publically launches a new $30 million campaign, "Limitless Possibilities" for the construction of new facilities.
2017: KPS welcomes its 11th Head of School Jennifer C. Galambos, who brings a remarkable breadth of experience to the community.
2018: Kent Place's team is the 2018 national High School Ethics Bowl Champion
2019: Kent Place inducts five alumnae, one team, and one coach into its first Athletics Hall of Fame.
Today: Our graduates report — from more than 225 colleges and universities — that Kent Place has uniquely prepared them for life’s wide range of opportunities and challenges.