Ethel Walker School
Uniquely Walker’s Overview
Everything at Walker’s is designed for girls
In 1911, Ethel Walker founded a school that was unlike any other of its time.
When most schools for girls focused on educating women on a path toward marriage, Ethel’s vision was for a college preparatory school for girls with a liberal arts curriculum. Since its earliest days, Walker’s graduates have gone on to study at prestigious colleges and universities on a path to fulfilling careers across all sectors.
Since its founding, Walker’s has flourished with small class sizes and dedicated faculty who guide students to use their voices and direct their own learning. The Walker’s community embraces each girl as she is and for her unique qualities, interests, and ideas, bonding a diverse student body into a sisterhood that cheers and champions every individual and her success.
At Walker’s, girls in grades six through 12 can be themselves, discover their true passions and purpose, and achieve their best performance in every aspect of life.
Uniquely Walker’s
Signature Courses
Crowd-sourcing antibiotic discovery, collaborating with published authors, leading discussions on social justice and identity, and exploring veterinary science are just some examples of Walker’s signature courses in which students engage in experiential learning both on campus and in the community.
Community Partnerships
Whether you’re preparing taxes for low income families or advocating for women and girls through legislation, our community partnerships with local non-profits allow Walker’s students to gain important skills, such as learning about personal finance or government, while giving back and making meaningful connections.
Capabilities approach program
What can schools do to support girls to fulfill their great promise and potential? At Walker’s, we have reimagined girls’ education. With the support of a prestigious Edward E. Ford Foundation Educational Leadership Grant, Walker’s Capabilities Approach Program seeks to disrupt the gendered mindset into which girls are socialized.
All-Girls Middle School
Since its founding in 1990, The Ethel Walker Middle School has been a special place for bright and curious girls. The only independent all-girls middle school in central Connecticut, Walker’s Middle School offers a day program for girls in grades six through eight along with a boarding program for girls in grades seven and eight and daily bus service from Greater Hartford.
Empowered Girls
The All Girls Advantage
The world needs more women in leadership positions who can help to shape a more just, equitable and sustainable world. At Walker’s, help girls achieve their personal best as scholars, athletes, artists, leaders, and agents of change. Here, all of our leadership positions are held by girls, which means students are empowered to take risks, try new things, and forge their own paths.
Walker’s Traditions
Will you be a Sun or a Dial? It’s a common question that all new members of the Walker’s community hear. Treasured traditions handed down from generation to generation are a cornerstone of Walker’s history and the student experience … many originating with Ethel Walker herself! Annual celebrations of Walker’s traditions bring the community together seamlessly blending “new girls” into community life. Participating in these traditions deepens the meaning of being here, creates lifelong relationships with alumnae and builds a connection to the school.
