Poly Prep Country Day School

Poly Prep Country Day School (known familiarly as Poly Prep) is an independent school with two campuses in Brooklyn, New York. Poly Prep's Middle School (5th to 8th grades) and Upper School (9th to 12th grades) are located in the Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. Poly Prep's Lower School (Nursery to 4th grade) is located in Brooklyn's landmarked Park Slope neighborhood. Initially founded as part of the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (predecessor of the NYU Poly School of Engineering), Poly Prep now offers classes from the nursery grade to 12th grade.

History

Poly Prep Country Day School was founded in 1854 in Downtown Brooklyn as "The Polytechnic Institute." It was one of the first private boys' schools in the city of Brooklyn. The initial aim of the school was to offer an academic program similar to that of boarding schools of the time while striving to maintain a strong community feel amongst students and faculty alike.

After 45 years, the future of the Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute was re-evaluated in 1889 when the preparatory school and the collegiate division were finally separated. In 1891, the construction of a new building next door to the school's original building provided a home for the college which became known as the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. Both divisions still exist, although the collegiate division, after many changes of name, was eventually acquired by New York University (NYU) in 2008 and, as of 2014, is now known as NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering.