With more families staying in the city, there’s been a lot of pressure on public officials to provide more public schools. And with a flurry of school openings in recent years, there now seem to be fewer stories of people being shut out of their neighborhood public schools (but there are still stories of overcrowded classrooms).
With many affluent families among the rising tide of those staying in the city, there’s also been a spurt of new private school options, with most growth taking place downtown and in Brooklyn. There are still many more established private schools farther north—between all the schools on the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, and in Riverdale—but it’s clear that the new downtown schools are attracting families from all over the city, including a sizable number of downtown families who, a few years ago, would have been more likely to send their kids uptown.
On the downtown front, the Big Kahuna is Avenues: The World School, which is located in Chelsea. Since opening its doors in the fall of 2012, Avenues has already become one of the most populous private schools in the city, and still has more seats to fill, primarily in the upper grades. Guided by stalwart and distinguished educators, Avenues has nevertheless managed to appeal to parents as a truly fresh option, with an emphasis on global culture and connection, language, and technology, among other qualities.
Recently joining the ranks of prominent private school openings on the southern side of the city are BASIS Independent in Brooklyn, and the Pine Street School in the Financial District. Two more in recent years: World Class Learning Academy on the Lower East Side, and Léman Manhattan, which is in part a boarding school, are also in the Financial District. Jennifer Jones, the founder of the Pine Street School, explains her choice in location as one based on, among other things, a sense of community.
“First and foremost, I chose Lower Manhattan because I am a resident of the area, having lived in Battery Park City for many years, and having raised my 6-year-old son in this neighborhood,” she says. “I feel a sense of devotion and personal connection to Lower Manhattan, the history, the beauty, the dynamic nature of it. Then, given the dramatic rise in families in the last few years and the need for more school options, I felt that I could offer a quality solution. It felt right to take my knowledge of the area and connection as a local mom and convert that into a real asset for the community.”
For more information on these schools, visit avenuesnyc.org, basisindependentbrooklyn.com, greenivyschools.com, wclacademy.org, and lemanmanhattan.org.
