Ransom Everglades School, an independent, co-educational day school in Coconut Grove, Florida, was officially founded in 1974 through the merger of Ransom School and The Everglades School for Girls. Today the school enrolls 1208 students in grades 6-12 on two campuses. 

The Adirondack-Florida School (Ransom School) was the first of its kind, allowing students to split the year between the mountains of New York and Pine Knot Camp on the shore of Biscayne Bay. This migratory boarding school was dedicated to founder Paul C. Ransom’s ideals of self-reliance, public service and developing multiple forms of intelligence. Each campus offered an education anchored in nature, fostering a relationship between the students and their environment that characterizes Ransom Everglades to this day. In 1949, the Adirondack-Florida School made Coconut Grove its permanent home and was renamed the Ransom School.

The Everglades School for Girls was established in 1955, just two miles from the Ransom School. Founders Marie and Edward Swenson and Headmistress Gertrude Peirce were innovators who believed in experiential learning and shared Paul Ransom’s belief in the value of community involvement as a means of moral and practical education. The Everglades School for Girls was every bit as demanding as the Ransom School and focused on preparing its students for college and professional careers. Unlike many other schools of that era, The Everglades School for Girls welcomed all qualified applicants, regardless of race, religion or social status.

In 1974, the two institutions merged to form Ransom-Everglades School. The Everglades Campus on Silver Bluff became the middle school; the Ransom Campus on Biscayne Bay housed the upper school.

In the years since, RE has become one of America’s preeminent independent day schools, evolving with – and often ahead of – developments in education, technology and culture. Even so, decades-old values characterized by environmental stewardship, public service and community involvement remain unchanged.