History

B. Lord Buckley, a professional educator and an innovator in his time, founded The Buckley School in 1913 as a boys’ elementary school. Mr. Buckley’s dedication to teaching quickly earned the School a reputation for excellence. Buckley offered a rigorous classical curriculum and stressed the importance of diligence, respect, strength of character, leadership and compassion. Honor et Veritas—Latin for honor and truth—became Buckley’s motto.  Originally located above a milliner’s shop on Madison Avenue, the School moved in 1917 to 74th Street and now includes three buildings: the Walsh Building, which spans 73rd and 74th Streets and houses most of the School's academic program; the new Arts & Sciences Building across 73rd Street, which opened in 2015 and has five floors of dedicated classroom space for the study of art, crafts, music, science and technology; and the Hubball Building on 74th Street, which contains four floors of gymnasiums, the kindergarten classrooms and administrative offices. 

 

Five heads of school have succeeded B. Lord Buckley: Evelyn Adams (1932-1947), James Hubball (1947-1972), C. Brett Boocock (1972-1982), Brian Walsh (1982-2001) and Buckley’s current headmaster, Greg O’Melia (2001-present). Strong secondary school placement, low attrition, two major capital campaigns, a $70 million building project, increased alumni involvement, a more diverse community, and an atmosphere in which every boy counts have been the hallmarks of the last decade. The School continues to emphasize its original values, including the belief that boys should have a strong foundation of skills in multiple disciplines to prepare them for success in secondary school and college. The pursuit of excellence within a core curriculum remains at Buckley to this day.