Rhodes Preparatory School (1911–1987) was a private school New York City, United States and initially located at 8-10-12-14 W 125th Street, Manhattan, New York City, United States, and located for much of its history at 11 West 54th Street.[2] The school was named for John Cecil Rhodes. It included a lower school with students in seventh and eighth grades and an upper school for students from grades nine through twelve. For a brief period, it also had fifth and sixth grade classes. There was also an evening school for adults.
Rhodes was a college preparatory school. It attracted students from all over the world. Many graduates went on to Ivy League or Seven Sisters schools, and to other prestigious institutions around the country and the world. The now-defunct school is often referred to as "Rhodes School" or simply "Rhodes".
Signs in the classrooms read, "Every class is an English class."
The Warwick New York Hotel, located just a few doors down at 65 West 54th Street, hosted many school functions in its ballroom. Several Rhodes proms and commencement ceremonies were held at another New York hotel, the Waldorf Astoria.
Rhodes was the model for the school in the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the school of last resort for ne'er-do-wells who were kicked out of other private schools; e.g. Rick Jason (actor: Combat), who had been kicked out of nine other preparatory schools for outlandish behavior.
