Each student has a unique set of gifts and talents, which, if properly nourished, will lead to a deeply rewarding and productive life. Our motto, taken from Proverbs, to “lead each child on an individual path” is an expression of this core belief.

Authentic learning grows out of a child’s innate drive to make sense of the world. Children acquire knowledge and skills both through interaction with their environment as well as through their own experiences and values. This is manifested through a Montessori-based holistic curriculum, in which students become attuned to the interconnectedness of all things. At Luria every subject is woven into another to form a meaningful web that encourages critical thinking and supports a child’s innate drive to find meaning in life.

The best educational system is one that implements an academically challenging curriculum in a calm and relaxed environment that supports an individual child’s cognitive, emotional, physical, creative, moral, and social development. At Luria we work hard to strike a balance between academic rigor and respecting the pace of an individual child’s development. The curriculum is sequential and children move through it at their own pace; progress is carefully tracked based on Montessori expectations as well as New York State Standards. While our integrated curriculum is held to the highest academic standards, it is executed in a way that encourages critical thinking, deductive and inductive reasoning, peer cooperation, and personal responsibility.

More than any quantifiable measure of individual intelligence, a child’s ability to work with other people is one of the most important indicators of future success in life. Our environment is structured to help children become strong individuals who are also successful and collaborative members of a group. Balancing leadership skills with teamwork prepares our students to flourish in an increasingly complex world.

Luria Academy places a premium on creating a culture of compassion in the classroom. We believe an elite academic institution should accommodate children with special needs. Our classrooms are treated as social settings in which children learn to work together and to help one another. Teaching good manners and compassionate behavior is integral to developing strong, independent personalities.

An ideal Jewish education combines Torah learning with secular studies in a perfect symbiosis, thereby resulting in a mutually enriching interdisciplinary learning experience. We are committed to teaching both Torah and Secular disciplines in a rigorous and comprehensive manner that encourage drawing moral insights and religious guidance from both disciplines.

Luria Academy is an open orthodox school. We strive to inspire our students towards a passionate commitment to a spiritual, enlightened, open-minded, and sophisticated Judaism. We explore a broad range of interpretations of Jewish texts and multiple strands of Jewish thought and incorporate them into our educational discourse. Our approach to Jewish education is based on mesora (the chain of Jewish tradition as transmitted over generations) and is grounded in a Halachic system (Jewish legal framework) that is dynamic, vibrant, and in constant dialogue with modern values and ideas.

Luria is committed to a progressive Jewish education that is responsive to the needs of a diverse community. Our curriculum draws on a multiplicity of intellectual traditions developed in the course of Jewish history, including Ashkenazi (German and Western European) and Sefardi (Spanish and North African) traditions, Lithuanian and Hasidic (Eastern European Ecstatic) philosophy and rational and spiritual modes of thought, to nurture a thorough knowledge and pride in Jewish culture, history and identity.

All human beings are created in the image of God- Betzelem Elohim. In drawing distinctions between various religious and secular traditions the sanctity of human dignity is paramount. We are committed to proactive engagement with all people regardless of their beliefs or religious affiliation. We seek for each child to learn from each other, share with one another and respect the unique qualities that makes us each special. In doing so we seek to foster a strong sense of Jewish pride and communal responsibility (ahavat yisrael) along with a profound sense of kinship with all people and a commitment to social justice (ahavat olam). Additionally we seek to instill in our students a deeply held respect for the environment and a committed sensitivity to the needs of our planet (tikun olam).

As American Jews we value the great cultural mosaic that our country represents. We believe that diversity and participation in a pluralistic society is both an American and a Torah ideal. We strongly believe in the value of providing our children with the faculties of curiosity, tolerance and cultural sensitivity. We believe that with these important traits, their interaction with the world around them will result in a deeper connection with their Jewish cultural identity and with their identification as citizens of the world at large.

The establishment of the State of Israel represents a concrete stage in the redemption of the Jewish people and the world as a whole. We strive to instill in our students a strong connection and deep rooted love for the State of Israel beginning with a deep understanding of Jewish history from its biblical roots through modern Zionism. We place a strong emphasis on Hebrew language proficiency and fluency in Israeli culture through immersion in literature, music, art, dance, technology and current media. Through our integrated curriculum, recognition of Israel’s role in the world is seamlessly included with lessons on the environment, emerging technologies and issues of social justice.

Luria Academy sees itself as more than a school but as an institution dedicated to serving the needs of the community. From its inception, the Luria community has been greatly enhanced by strong parental involvement. We encourage parents to actively participate in the education of their children. Parental initiatives and extra curricular activities are strongly encouraged and promoted. It is through this sense of committed belonging that the school continues to grow and flourish as a pillar of the community.