Private Schools, Independent Schools, and International Schools in Manhattan

UPDATED October 2019: Whether you're looking for a more rigorous curriculum for your child or your child thrives in a smaller classroom setting, a private or independent school in Manhattan may be the right option for you. New York City boasts a wide variety of high-quality private and independent schools for kids in kindergarten through 12th grade, including international schools, bilingual schools, schools that foster creative thinking, schools that provide individualized curriculums, and schools that focus on preparing students for higher education. These private and independent schools are locate throughout Manhattan, including locations on the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Lower East Side, Harlem, Midtown, Kips Bay, and Gramercy.

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The Academy of Thought and Industry (ATI) in Manhattan joins a network of middle and high schools with campuses in Austin, San Francisco, and St. Louis. ATI is an autonomous learning community that offers hands-on work, self-directed projects, and entrepreneurial endeavors among expert mentors and ambitious peers.

BLUE SCHOOL
Pre-primary and Primary School, 241 Water St., Manhattan
212-228-6341
Upper-primary and Middle School
156 William St.

Blue School is an independent school for ages 2 through eighth grade where the dynamic balance of academic mastery, creative thinking, self and social intelligence instills a lifelong passion for learning. The curriculum emphasizes inquiry, observation, and reflection, encouraging children to become bold, creative, and compassionate innovators.

BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF NEW YORK (THE)
20 Waterside Plaza,
212-481-2700 x204
Email [email protected]

With a stunning campus full of light, and a proven, portable curriculum which both stretches and supports every student across a breadth of subject areas, BIS-NY offers a supportive and truly balanced approach to education. For children 3 years and older.

CATHEDRAL SCHOOL (THE)
319 E. 74th St., New York
212-249-2840
Email [email protected]

At The Cathedral School our nursery through eighth grade program encourages children to become bold and compassionate thinkers. We offer a challenging curriculum that engages students in becoming independent and joyful learners. Our small class size allows for individual attention where every child's voice is heard.

DWIGHT SCHOOL
291 Central Park West, New York
212-724-6360
Email [email protected]

Founded in 1872, Dwight is a leading nursery-12th grade private school dedicated to igniting the spark of genius in every child. Dwight has one of the lowest student-teacher ratios among NYC independent schools and was the first in the Americas to offer the comprehensive International Baccalaureate curriculum for ages 3-18.

ÉCOLE (THE)
111 E. 22nd St., New York
646-410-2238
Email [email protected]

The École, formerly École Internationale de New York, is an intimate and independent French-American school that cultivates an internationally-minded community of students. From Maternelle to middle school, we blend the best of the French and American educational systems, gifting our students with deep academic bi-literacy and an optimistic, multi-cultural perspective.

GATEWAY SCHOOL (THE)
211 W. 61st St., 6th floor, New York
212-777-5966
Email [email protected]

The Gateway School is an independent day school for children ages 5-14 with language-based learning disabilities or attention deficits. It was among the first schools to recognize that bright children who had difficulty learning simply had to be taught differently. At Gateway, students recognize their strengths and develop self-advocacy skills.

GREEN VALE SCHOOL (THE)
250 Valentine's Lane, Old Brookville
516-621-2420

Green Vale is Long Island’s premier and largest coed, independent elementary school for pre-nursery through eighth grade. A program of exceptional academics and small class sizes is combined with emphasis on athletics, visual and performing arts, and character education at every grade level.

IDEAL SCHOOL OF MANHATTAN (THE)
Upper West Side , New York
212-769-1699
Email [email protected]

On any given day at The IDEAL School of Manhattan, students may present on a civil rights leader, participate in a dance workshop, showcase their writing, enjoy Riverside Park, build a robot, perform in a musical, or visit the Met. IDEAL is New York’s only kindergarten-12th independent inclusion school.

INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF NEW YORK
4 E. 90th St. , New York
212-641-0260
Email [email protected]

The International Academy of New York is multi-cultural and diverse, developing culturally astute, confident, and empathetic students with fluency in Mandarin or Spanish, while excelling in literacy, math, and the arts. Pre-nursery (2s)-eighth grade, but accepting applications through fourth grade for 2019-20.

MARYEL SCHOOL OF NEW YORK
28 E. 35th St., New York
212-213-2097

Maryel School of New York is an independent, bilingual English/Spanish school, educating children from nursery-fifth grade. Maryel is a harmonious combination of the educational system of the United States and Europe. With a rigorous, challenging education, Maryel incorporates all forms of critical thinking and inspires a lifelong love of learning.

MONTESSORI SCHOOL OF NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL (THE)
347 E. 55th St., Sutton Place , Manhattan
212-223-4630

In a lovingly, thoughtfully prepared environment, children explore academic dimensions at their own pace and interest level. Classes are equipped with didactic Montessori materials that encourage absorption of concepts through play, leading children to become well-rounded and confident. Program includes science, music, foreign language, musical theatre, swimming, dance, yoga, and chess.

NORD ANGLIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEW YORK
44 E. 2nd St.,
212-600-2010
Email [email protected]

Nord Anglia International School New York is a truly international school with a highly personalized approach to learning, for ages 2-14. We recognize that all children are unique and as such, our classes are small enough to provide each child with a tailored and well-rounded academic and personal experience.

PORTFOLIO SCHOOL (THE)
27 North Moore St., New York
212-226-8252
Email [email protected]

Portfolio School is an independent school in Tribeca for grades kindergarten through sixth. Grounded in research, our integrated STEAM approach combines personalized learning and immersive projects. We provide an innovative education that celebrates your child’s curiosity, creativity, and love of learning. Applications for fall 2019 are open.

ROSSALL SCHOOL, UK
Broadway, Fleetwood, Lancashire, FY7 8JW ,

Celebrating 175 years, Rossall is a coeducational boarding and day school for ages 2-19, situated next to the sea and only an hour from Manchester airport. Educating more than 40 nationalities, we offer semester and yearlong courses alongside a wealth of extracurricular opportunities with first-rate signature programs for golf and soccer.

SARA CURRY DAY SCHOOL
93 St. Marks Place ,
212-777-9774
Email [email protected]

Children in The Sara Curry Day School are focused, relaxed, communicative, and engaged. This is done through emotional education, and self-directed learning. They learn to reflect on their feelings before they act, and to understand the feelings of others. Conflict is an opportunity to discuss feelings, recognize patterns, and find communal solutions. In self-directed learning children learn what motivates and excites them. Projects do not come from the top down, but from children’s ideas. Children grow to be fulfilled as individuals and as unique and important members of the group.

WETHERBY–PEMBRIDGE SCHOOL
7 E. 96th St.,
646-213-3400
Ages:3-14

Email [email protected]

A British independent school for ages 3-14, our school vision is to awaken curiosity, cultivate high standards, and celebrate successes. Our curriculum is based on the rigorous English National Curriculum and combines the merits of single-sex and coeducation, infused with our three school values of respect, responsibility, and resilience.