His philosophy for a school was heavily influenced by the traditional setting he experienced at Groton and in the UK, as well as the progressive ideology that Avon possessed.

After searching for suitable grounds to house the school — including an offer from then Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt to build in Hyde Park, New York — Pulling and his wife decided on the Stephenson farm five miles (8 km) outside Millbrook in nearby Stanford, New York.

[1] After the purchase of the property, Pulling drafted his first board of trustees, which included Endicott Peabody Sr., who was headmaster at Groton, and Henry Harkness Flagler, who became the first President of the Board of Trustees.

The zoo houses 180 exotic and indigenous animals representing 80 different species, 10 of them endangered.

[3] A curriculum called Zoo community service encourages students to engage in animal husbandry, diet preparation, and veterinary medicine.