Esther Lee

Assistant Head of School - Admissions and Enrollment

Esther Lee is a Korean American educator originally from São Paulo, Brazil, with over 25 years of experience in education. Her career spans charter, public, and independent schools, serving students from preschool through grade 8. Esther began her career developing music outreach programs for underserved public school children. She went on to teach music at the Reach Charter School and later held multiple roles at Kappa II, M.S. 317, where she served as Dean of Students and taught English Language Arts, Math, French, and Music to students in grades 5–8.

She spent nine years as the Associate Director of Admissions at St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s, where she also chaired the Music Department. For the past decade, Esther served as Director of Admissions at Village Community School (VCS), where she led admissions and enrollment and was an integral member of the school’s leadership team.

In addition to her school-based work, Esther served as Board President of the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY), where she championed equitable and efficient admissions processes for both families and schools.

Esther is a graduate of the Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences in California and the Manhattan School of Music in New York. An award-winning operatic soprano, she has performed internationally in Singapore, Germany, Italy, Brazil, and Korea, and has had the honor of working with renowned artists such as Henry Mancini, Sherrill Milnes, Marilyn Horne, and Sumi Jo. A supporter of the performing arts, Esther also served as Board Chair of the New York City Master Chorale.