The New School was founded in 1971 by Bill Mandrell and a group of local families to provide pre-school education.
It originally used a room of the ANL medical lab, owned by the Nettleship family. From 1973 to 1979, it operated out of a daycare space at Leverett Gardens, an apartment complex at the northern end of Leverett Avenue.
In 1980, the Nettleships provided 2.5 acres for establishment of a permanent school building, where the school continues operation on an enlarged campus.
By 2017, the private school provided educational services to students from age 1 to 10th grade.