Founded in 1869 by Miss Agnes Irwin, the first Dean of Radcliffe College and the great-great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin, The Agnes Irwin School was one of the first schools in the United States devoted to the education of girls and young women. As a Headmistress at the age of just twenty-eight, Miss Agnes Irwin would create an institution that emphasized "disciplined and precise thinking," where girls could flourish in a classical curriculum that included a range of study in English, Modern and Classical Languages, History, Mathematics and Science.
Miss Irwin valued scholarship, and nearly from the start, sent students to sit for the examinations Harvard offered to certify women for teaching. When Bryn Mawr College was founded, she revised the curriculum to better prepare her students for admission there as well. By the end of World War II, the majority of Agnes Irwin graduates went on to college, and at that time the School phased out its Course of General Studies in favor of a challenging college preparatory curriculum for all students. This tradition of evolving thought lives on today, as the School continues to expand its offerings in mathematics, science and the arts, as well as programs dedicated to excellence in athletics and physical wellness.
The School's steadfast commitment to the development of character, however, is one thing that remains unchanged.
The Agnes Irwin School locations:
1869-1875 No. 5 Merrick Street
1875-1881 19th & Spruce Streets
1881-1933 2011 DeLancey Place
1933-1961 Wynnewood Campus
1961-present Rosemont Campus
Fostering Lifelong Connections
One hundred and forty-nine "old girls" founded the Alumnae Association of The Agnes Irwin School on November 29, 1897, to foster "a feeling of kinship to the School" and to work as "a power for good in the community." Non Sibi Sed Aliis — Not for Ourselves but for Others — is its motto, and over the years the association has been active in raising money for the school and has had a tradition of community service ranging from taking part in the relief of victims of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 to running a Christian vacation school in the 1930's.
Information about alumnae, past and present, and current activities such as the 100th Night Supper for seniors or the annual Alumnae Luncheon, is available in the Development Office or by visiting the
Alumnae Events page of our website.The Alumnae Association Activities Room in the Upper School Library houses the School Archives — yearbooks, student publications, alumnae magazines, catalogues, directories, scrapbooks and photographs — and we welcome AIS memorabilia.