Montclair Kimberley Academy

MKA students have returned from transformative Global Experience journeys to Greece, China, Alaska, Tanzania, and Costa Rica, bringing home new perspectives, lasting connections, and unforgettable memories!

Global Experience at MKA empowers students to think critically, cultivate empathy, and engage thoughtfully with perspectives beyond their own communities. Through immersive travel, cultural exchange, service learning, and outdoor adventure, students develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to become informed, ethical, and purposeful global citizens. Whether exploring ancient civilizations, engaging with local communities, or developing leadership in the wilderness, these experiences challenge students to deepen their understanding of the world and their place within it.

Montclair Kimberley Academy graduated 112 students during its Commencement, in an outdoor ceremony on Van Brunt Field. The field, perfectly nestled between the familiar buildings of the Upper School campus to the left and the welcoming town of Montclair to the right, served as a symbolic bridge between the graduates’ academic home and the wider world.

Dr. Flocco reflected on the students’ journey from their earliest days at the Primary School, celebrating not only their record-breaking accomplishments but also the community they built together. He noted, “This is a class that has rewritten record books, won a ton of championships (sometimes for the first time), and collected college acceptances at the highest levels. But what makes them truly extraordinary is not just their excellence—it’s the spirit in which they achieved it and the culture they created along the way.”

Congratulations Class of 2026!

Two Remarkable Careers, One Enduring Legacy: Honoring Patty Forbes and Erica Budd! Montclair Kimberley Academy is proud to honor two retiring educators and celebrate their decades of teaching, leadership, and lasting impact on generations of students. Thank you Patty and Erica! 💙💚

A Life in Literature, A Legacy of Love: Celebrating Patty Forbes and 37 years of transformative teaching at MKA.

Patty Forbes has shaped generations of MKA students not only through her love of literature but through the humanity, intellect, and care she brought to every classroom conversation. Since joining Montclair Kimberley Academy in 1989, Mrs. Forbes has become one of the school’s most beloved and enduring faculty members, the kind of teacher students remember for a lifetime, and alumni return years later still quoting.

A Life of Learning, A Legacy of Leadership: Celebrating Erica Budd and 31 years of innovation, mentorship, and service at MKA

For more than three decades, Erica Budd has helped shape not only what students learn at Montclair Kimberley Academy, but how they learn. A gifted teacher, trusted mentor, thoughtful leader, and lifelong learner, she has spent 31 years quietly transforming the educational experience for generations of students and colleagues alike.

This spring, MKA’s third-grade students showcased their creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills through the annual Capstone project, a culminating interdisciplinary experience rooted in the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy and designed to prepare students for their transition from the Primary School.
Special thanks to our May Term intern Grace Fitzgerald’26 for her creativity and contributions behind the lens for this and many other moments.

In response to news that exhibits about enslavement had been removed from the National Park Service’s President’s House site in Philadelphia, MKA students in grades four, five, and eight launched The President’s House Project—a student-led initiative dedicated to researching and rebuilding the stories that had disappeared. More than a research project, the initiative reflects students’ commitment to telling history honestly and fairly, and to taking meaningful action when they see an important story erased.

MKA’s Tri-Campus Strings Program returned to Carnegie Hall on Saturday, May 2, for its annual concert, continuing a beloved tradition that has united student musicians across all three campuses for nearly three decades.

It started with bubbles 🫧
From our Primary School entrance to a senior who walked through these doors for the very first time in Junior Kindergarten, spring 2026 reminds us why this community is unlike any other. Swipe through concerts, celebrations, art, media day, the PAMKA Social, and a whole lot of Cougar Pride.