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Welcome to The Foote School! I hope to meet you soon.

Learning at Foote is an active experience for all members of our community. Our students learn by doing, from teachers who are deeply invested in their success.

Walk onto our beautiful campus and you can instantly feel the excitement and joy of children learning and playing, of teachers and students interacting, and of a diverse and welcoming community sharing ideas and asking questions.

Children at Foote are celebrated for what makes them different by caring teachers who believe in their potential. Our size is just right: small enough to form a close community and large enough to offer diverse social and learning opportunities.

Parents at Foote play an active role in school life and form close connections with each other and our faculty and staff. We welcome families from around Greater New Haven, who bring a diversity of perspectives and life experiences they share in classrooms and community events. Our Financial Aid program is among the most robust for any school our size because we value socioeconomic equity.

Since 1916, Foote School has been a leader in progressive education and has cultivated an atmosphere of excellence and mutual respect. I invite you to explore our website to learn more about our history, mission and philosophy, and to see the joy of learning that takes place every day at Foote.

Thank you for your interest in our school.

Best,

Aléwa Cooper
Head of School

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About Aléwa Cooper

About Aléwa Cooper

Aléwa Cooper is an experienced independent school leader and teacher who brings to her role a palpable sense of joy and a genuine love of teaching young children. She was born and raised in New York City and attended The Packer Collegiate Institute, where she first came to understand the power of the connection between teacher and student, home and school. At Packer, Aléwa built a foundation based on partnership, commitment and understanding that has guided her career as an educator.

Prior to joining Foote School in 2020, Aléwa served five years as Head of Lower School at Greens Farms Academy, an independent school in Westport, Connecticut that serves 715 students in grades Pre-K to 12. At Greens Farms, Aléwa oversaw curricular initiatives in literacy, math and social-emotional learning; led diversity, equity and social justice work; and served on a schoolwide marketing committee to better understand the changing school landscape and develop enrollment management strategies.

Aléwa brings to Foote first-hand experience with many of Foote's curricular initiatives, including Fundations and RULER, and she is attentive to differentiation and developmental approaches across grades K to 9.

Aléwa earned a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University and a Master of Science in Education from Bank Street College of Education. Prior to Greens Farms, she was a teacher and leader at two New York City independent schools: 12 years as a Grade 2 teacher and Diversity Practitioner at The Nightingale-Bamford School, followed by three years as Lower School Assistant Director at Trevor Day School. For the past six years, Aléwa has served as a core faculty member of the Interschool Leadership Institute, mentoring and coaching aspiring leaders of color.

Aléwa is Foote’s 10th Head of School and the first person of color to serve in the role.

Our location in the heart of New Haven puts us within easy walking distance of world-class art and natural history museums, parks, natural areas, houses of worship and community organizations that serve as venues for experiential learning.

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Join us for Coastal Clean-Up April 22

The Foote School is organizing a spring meet-up in honor of Earth Day. Anyone interested in supporting the efforts is invited to meet at Lighthouse Point Park, where participants will clean up trash while exploring the coastal ecosystem of this city park.

Hello, Spain!

After months of preparation — including 9th grade Spanish students teaching their peers some conversational Spanish, research projects and creating docents — the big day finally arrived.