Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ezra Academy accredited?

Yes. Ezra Academy is accredited by the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools. Ezra is also a member of the Prizmah Jewish Day School Network.

What percentage of the student population receives tuition assistance?

Ezra provides financial assistance to approximately half of all families.

What is the student:teacher ratio?

The student:teacher ratio is about 5:1. Small groupings and classes are very evident at Ezra. Most classes average 8-12 students.

What are Ezra Academy’s hours?

Students are greeted each morning from 7:45 AM to 8:00 AM by head of school Tani Cohen-Fraade (himself an alumnus, having finished eighth grade in 20TK). The school day officially begins at 8:00 AM, and students are dismissed at 3:15 PM. In the winter months, students are dismissed at 2:30 PM on Fridays, since Shabbat begins early. 

From what towns do Ezra Academy students come?

Ezra Academy draws students from a wide geographical area, including Bethany, Bridgeport, Cheshire, East Haven, Easton, Fairfield, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, Orange, Stratford, Trumbull, Westport, and Woodbridge.

Are all Ezra Academy students Jewish?

Ezra Academy students have at least one Jewish parent, but our students are a mix of Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative, Modern Orthodox, Orthodox, and unaffiliated, as well as the totally unclassifiable!

Students study Judaics as well as secular academic subjects. Does this make it difficult to excel at the same pace as their peers in secular schools?

Quite the opposite. Our integrated curriculum gives students the best of all worlds. Jewish traditions such as collaborative text study and critical thinking infuse and improve our secular academics. Ezra students are tremendously successful in high school, college, and beyond.

Neither parent in our home is well-versed in Hebrew or Judaics. Will this affect my child’s success at Ezra Academy?

While some of our families have strong Judaic backgrounds, many do not. Students enter at the appropriate level, and we’ve designed our curriculum so that all of our students succeed.

What do students do for lunch?

Students bring a dairy or pareve (non-meat and non-dairy) lunch to school. Traditionally, eighth-grade families pay for a hot lunch two days per week, at an additional cost, to raise money for their students’ spring trip to Israel.

Ezra Academy is an egalitarian school. What does that mean?

It simply means that all students, no matter their sex or gender, are given the same opportunities in the classroom, in the gym, on the playing field, and in the sanctuary. The one area where boys and girls are treated differently concerns head coverings. Boys must cover their heads while at Ezra Academy, while girls may choose whether to do so or not.

Are Jewish day schools diverse?

At Ezra Academy, we provide a framework of Jewish values and living from which students engage the larger world. In recent years, we have had Jewish students of Asian and African heritage, of Israeli, American, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi heritage, and of widely varying economic backgrounds. Although our students all have at least one Jewish parent, they are a very diverse group.

Is transportation provided to Ezra Academy?

Beginning in Kindergarten, students who live in Woodbridge are provided with transportation at no cost. Families in Fairfield County are provided with bus service at an additional charge. Families have organized carpools to and from many towns and help one another out with rides whenever necessary.