THE BRIDGES ACADEMY

Provides financial aid to one in three enrolled families to increase access to education for students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

Provides a rigorous educational program for students from toddlers through 8th grade, integrating core academics with foreign language, STEAM, music, art, and life skills. Emphasizes character development, confidence, and knowledge through a supportive pod model for fourth and fifth graders and an accelerated curriculum in middle school that supports intellectual, physical, and social growth.

Provides comprehensive fine arts and theater programming including school plays, concerts, and annual art shows. All students participate in chorus; upper-grade students can join band. Offers training in music theory, composition, vocals, and instruments. Produces two annual drama performances with student involvement onstage and behind the scenes, including major productions such as Fiddler on the Roof and The Lion King.

Provides multi-year language programs in Mandarin, Spanish, and French for students from toddler through 8th grade, with some students achieving national-level performance in language competitions.

Engages students, staff, and families in service projects including creating and delivering Valentine’s Day cards to nursing home residents, sending cards and letters to veterans, and organizing donation drives for local food pantries such as North Babylon Food Pantry and Long Island Cares, Inc.

Conducts regular educational field trips across Long Island and New York City, as well as overnight experiential learning trips to destinations including Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Florida Keys, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, and the Ashokan Center to study subjects such as marine biology, geology, and Native American cultures.

Operates a STEAM Lab program where students engage in interdisciplinary projects involving coding, robotics, circuitry, engineering, design thinking, and construction through a progressive, spiraling curriculum. Students also participate in collaborative projects connecting STEAM with classroom learning.

Offers campus tours, shadow days, interviews, and information sessions for prospective families. Requires entrance exams for K–8 applicants and provides guidance on financial aid, bus transportation, textbook acquisition, and uniform ordering through Lands' End and Educational Products Inc. (EPI).

Offers aftercare, lunch programs, and more than 26 extracurricular activities including chess tournaments, science experiments, engineering projects, greenhouse planting, and soccer for students in preschool through 8th grade.

Offers structured play-based learning environments for children ages 2–5, focusing on social-emotional development, school readiness, and foundational academic concepts through age-specific curricula for toddlers (2–3), preschool (3–4), and pre-kindergarten (4–5). Conducts twice-yearly evaluations of social, emotional, and academic development in the Nursery Program.

Creates digital portfolios to document and share student progress with parents, uses the TBA Blackbaud Portal to provide access to academic records, grades, and attendance, and requires reading benchmarks (e.g., 25 books annually for first graders) to support learning accountability.