The Hun School Difference

Learn with Joy
smiling students

Hun students know academic excellence and joy aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, neuroscience research suggests that a good chuckle activates long-term memory and stimulates students’ sense of wonder. Our community is both kind and vigorous.

Talking in Class is a Good Thing
Harkness Discussion

At Hun, Humanities classes are taught Harkness style, giving equal weight to all voices.

Mentorship
faculty talking with students

Our faculty get to know their students as individuals in class, in the dorm, and during a special period each day designed for one-on-one collaboration.

Innovative, High-Powered Academics
students solving equations

Our curriculum boasts a remarkable breadth of classes. Coursework is experiential and dynamic, with an emphasis on teaching skills over content.

Signature Programs

We are a joyful, striving community of learners and teachers who want to experience something profound every day: that sweet spot between challenging academics and the personal endeavors that make our hearts soar

STEM Program

STEM has become a buzzword in education in recent years, but it has been a part of our DNA long before it was touted as the “next big thing.” Founded as The Princeton Math School, our legacy is inextricably tied to founder John Gale Hun’s firm belief in teaching with a holistic mindset and interdisciplinary approach—tenets of a STEM program.

Centennial Speakers Series

Each year, The Hun School’s world-class Centennial Speakers Series welcomes thought leaders, performers, and artists to campus to stretch our students' understanding of the world and provoke discussion on the topics and issues of our time. Our guest list has included: Jeb Bush, Sons of Mystro, Dan Harris, Angelique Kidjo, Congressman John Lewis, Monks of Drepung Gomang, Casey Neistat, and Mandy Harvey.

Cultural Competency

Cultural competency is one of the foundational skills of a Hun School education. With students from dozens of countries and states, how could it not be?! We’ve implemented strategies and programs that create mutually beneficial exchanges of learning, and are constantly evaluating our programming and looking for new ways to expand our approach.

Middle School Debate

We believe that talking in class is a good thing. Arguing? Even better! All Middle School students learn the art of debate to improve their critical thinking and communication skills. Our Middle School faculty dream up fun scenarios, split students into small groups, and guide them in crafting their debate skills.

NextTerm

NextTerm is the embodiment of our innovation. For three weeks each May, students in grades 9 through 11 participate in a travel-based immersion learning experience designed to offer a deep exploration of real-world topics. NextTerm courses are project-based, credited courses that fall outside the constraints of traditional disciplines. 

Scholars Program

Upper School students can identify interdisciplinary interests and then select courses that inform and support that study. In two of those courses, they complete a portfolio project which, along with successful completion of their related Senior Capstone, results in an Honors Distinction on their Hun School Diploma.

Coursing with Creativity

A Place for Creativity and Collaboration
computer science class

The Computer Science Discoveries course demystifies computers and shows students the collaboration and creativity involved in computer science. The curriculum comes from code.org, an organization dedicated to exposing students to the field.

Middle School Power Plays
Middle School sock puppets

Middle School English students create their own sock puppets to dramatize the story of “Tobermory” and enhance their understanding of comedic satire.

Getting Down to Business
students in the library

Know any other high school students who run real businesses? Students in Hun's Entrepreneurial Studies classes learn about business plans, finances, and real-world market opportunities before pitching a new business opportunity to a panel of judges. They are then given $300 in seed money to launch and operate their businesses. 

Playwriting Students Take Center Stage
student performance

The Playwright and Productions course allows students to flex their performing, directing, and producing muscles as they present their own one-act play to the community. "A class like this gives students a voice,” said teacher and Hun Theatre Director Bill Esher.

Life-Sized and Bound for Biotech
student scientist

In the biotechnology elective, students work with graduate students from Rutgers University to synthesize a protein sequence using the Worldwide Protein Data Bank. Discoveries like these help scientists discover new treatments for cancer, infections, cardiovascular or respiratory issues, and more. 

News and Events

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Alison C
Retiring Faculty Leave a Legacy of Kindness

Alison Chmielewski has been a quiet but invaluable presence at The Hun School for twenty-nine years, first as a ten-week fill-in for the Middle School secretary. She was then called to serve in the Upper School, where she became the full-time administrative assistant to the Upper School head in 2004. A scheduling master and universally beloved liaison, Ms. Chmielewski always looks out for everyone’s best interests.

Read More about Retiring Faculty Leave a Legacy of Kindness

Meet Our Students

We are a joyful, striving community of learners and teachers who want to experience something profound every day: that sweet spot between challenging academics and the personal endeavors that make our hearts soar

Marie-Ève Hébert swimming
Marie-EVe.mp4

Marie-Ève 
Hébert
'20

Alex Marinzoli presents a science project
Hamilton.mp4

Alex
Marinzoli
'24

Gigi Schadrack
Gigi.mp4

Gigi
Schadrack
'19

Marie-Ève Hébert swimming
Marie-EVe.mp4

Marie-Ève 
Hébert
'20

Experience Hun

At The Hun School of Princeton, we learn with joy, share in each other’s successes, and shape– action by action—a community where caring opens us to the best in ourselves and others. We meet our students at a seminal moment in their lives, when their sense of self is still evolving and their vision and capacities are beginning to emerge. We know that at such a pivotal moment, kind encouragement is as necessary as intellectual challenge.