Founded in 1934, it was originally located at Hooker and South Grand Avenues in the city of Poughkeepsie, where it began with 35 students and three faculty members.

[1][2] The school outgrew that facility, and in 1963 it moved to custom built premises on the Vassar College campus at 39 New Hackensack Road, Poughkeepsie.

The school outgrew that facility as well, and acquired two buildings from IBM in the 1990s that form its current 35 acre campus on Boardman Road.

[4] Pete Seeger, David Strathairn, Graham Parker, William Sadler and Jack DeJohnette also had children or grandchildren who attended the school.

[3][5] In April 2020, the school announced that it would close in June, due to financial concerns related to shrinking revenue.