Bennett School for Girls

This place is on private property. Listing for informational purposes only. Please do not visit without express permission from the land owner. Bennett School was founded in 1890 by May F. Bennett. In 1907 the school moved to it's home on 22 acres (89,000 m2) in Millbrook, Dutchess County, New York.  In 1907 the school had an enrollment of 120 students and a faculty of 29. Originally named The Bennett School for Girls, the course of study was six years (four years of high school and two years of higher study). In the early 20th century the school discontinued high school courses and became a junior college only. The two-year curriculum continued through the 1970s. Generations of young women from prominent American families attended Bennett over its 90-year history. Majors of study included art, fashion design, interior design, music, modern languages, literature, history, dance, drama, child development, equine studies, and domestic science. Activities at Bennett included gymnastics, golf, tennis, horseback riding and skiing. The school was home to a full-time teaching Nursery School for 3 and 4 year olds as well as a riding stable. At the time of its closing, enrollment was around 300 students. With the growing popularity of coeducation in the 1970s, Bennett found itself struggling to survive. An attempt to upgrade facilities and convert to a coed college in the mid-1970s left the already troubled college in financial distress. In 1977 the trustees attempted to reach a collaboration agreement with Briarcliff College, a junior women's college in nearby Briarcliff Manor which was also struggling with low enrollment. The plan did not work, however, and Briarcliff instead merged with Pace University in 1977 after both Briarcliff and Bennett entered bankruptcy. In 1978 the college closed its doors for good. The library of Bennett College was transferred to The Hayes Memorial Library along with other school artifacts. Academic records may have been transferred to Pace University. Bennett College closed a few short weeks after its freshman orientation in the fall. The students having already arrived at Bennett for their fall semester were given the opportunity to attend Marist College, a nearby co-ed university in Poughkeepsie, New York.