To ensure that a child growing up in the city gets a good education, parents really do have to turn themselves into educated consumers—to learn their options and how to best assess them. We have four thriving educational sectors—public, private, charter, and parochial—and they all have their pros and cons, rules and regulations.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
For Nursery School And Pre-K
- The Parents League Of New York, parentsleague.org
- The Independent School Admission Association Of Greater New York (ISAAGNY), isaagny.org
- The New York City Department Of Education (DOE), schools.nyc.gov
- Victoria Goldman’s Manhattan Directory Of Private Nursery Schools, victoriagoldman.net
Also note: Many “preschool alternative” programs are offered by neighborhood education and enrichment centers. See our Classes Directory.
For Public School
- Clara Hemphill’s various guides to NYC public schools, clarahemphill.net
- Class Size Matters, classsizematters.org
- DOE (see above)
- Gotham Schools, gothamschools.org
- Insideschools, insideschools.org
- NYC Public School Parents, nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com
For Private School (Independent)
- ISAAGNY (see above)
- NYC Private Schools Blog, nycprivateschoolsblog.com
- The NYC Private School Admissions Handbook, nypeas.com
- The Parents League Of New York (see above)
- Victoria Goldman’s The Manhattan Family Guide To Private Schools And Selective Public Schools, victoriagoldman.net
For Charter Schools
- DOE (see above)
- New York City Charter School Center, nyccharterschools.org
For Parochial Schools
- Archdiocese Of New York, archny.org
Also note: For other faith-based schools in the New York City area, we recommend contacting local organizations affiliated with your religion. They should be able to direct you to schools of interest.
SCHOOL ADMISSIONS CONSULTANTS
As in the case with college admissions consultants, the city has a small but busy cottage industry of consultants who help parents with nursery, public, and private school admissions.
- Education First, nycedu1st.com
- Private Education Advisory Service (PEAS), nypeas.com
- School Choice International, schoolchoiceintl.com
- School Search NYC, schoolsearchnyc.com
- Smart City Kids, smartcitykids.com
TUTORS
- Big City Tutoring,bigcitytutoring.com
- Bright Kids NYC, brightkidsnyc.com
- Tutor Tango, tutortango.com
- EBL Coaching, eblcoaching.com
- Launch Math Achievement Centers, launchmath.com
- Kumon, kumon.com
- Mathnasium, mathnasium.com
- Next Level Learning, nyclearn.com
- The Princeton Review, princetonreview.com
NEW SCHOOLS
For new public schools, check the DOE website and Inside Schools, and call your local School District office (which you can find on the DOE website). For new charter schools, check with the New York City Charter School Center. Here a few new (and new-ish) and noteworthy nursery and private schools.
Avenues
avenues.org
Avenues: The World School is a new, for-profit school located in Chelsea which opened its doors this fall and aims to provide students with a comprehensive educational experience. Preparing its children for “life in a world with continuously fading borders,” Avenues emphasizes language fluency and global understanding.
Ecole Internationale de New York
einy.org
This new French international school is a K-5th institution that emphasizes a bilingual French/English curriculum and introduces Mandarin when students are in third grade. EINY aims to combine the best of the French and American educational systems, marrying the more disciplined, classical French curriculum with the American emphasis on independent thinking and creativity.
Fusion Academy
fusionacademy.com (search Manhattan)
Fusion Academy is an alternative, for-profit, private middle and high school located in midtown Manhattan, with additional locations in Long Island and coming soon to Westchester. Targeting students in grades 6-12 who have struggled in traditional classroom environments, Fusion offers a unique, customized approach to education. Each class consists of just one student and one teacher, with a curriculum customized to each child’s needs and flexible scheduling options.
The Goddard School
goddardschool.com (search Manhattan, Upper West Side)
The Goddard School is a national nursery school, open to ages 2-6, that expanded to New York City in 2011. Aiming to “utilize fun and creativity to foster a love of learning” through its trademarked Flex learning program, Goddard also offers schedule flexibility to parents. Open 12 months of the year, Goddard School offers both part-time and full-time programs, along with early drop-off times and flexible pick-up times.
Grace Church School
gcschool.org (new High School division)
Grace Church School is an independent, coeducational school in downtown Manhattan that has emphasized both academic excellence and social diversity to students in grades K-8th since 1894. Grace recently expanded its offerings with the launch of a new high school division in September.
The Lang School
thelangschool.org
Opened in 2010, The Lang School describes itself as New York City’s “only school for gifted children with learning differences.” Currently serving students in grades K-8th, the Lang School seeks to enhance the potential and gifts of children with ADHD, dyslexia, Asperger’s Syndrome, anxiety, sensory processing challenges, or “underachievement” in traditional settings. The Lang School recently moved into a larger space in downtown Manhattan and will expand to grades K-12th starting with the 2013-14 academic year.
The Learning Experience
thelearningexperience.com (search Manhattan)
The Learning Experience is a nationwide chain of child development centers offering infant, toddler before- and after-school care, preschool, kindergarten, and early childhood education to ages 6 weeks to 5 years (with after school care available through 8 years of age). The Learning Experience recently opened its first New York City facility in downtown Manhattan.
Léman Manhattan Preparatory School
(formerly Claremont Prep) lemanmanhattan.org
The Léman Manhattan Preparatory School is a coed, independent school for students from early childhood through 12th grade. Located in the Financial District, Léman Prep emphasizes developing students’ critical thinking skills and aims to offer “world views from every classroom” through its curriculum and network of sister schools in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Its will soon include an international high school boarding program, in addition to its day program.
Mandell School
mandellschool.org
Founded in 1939 by Max Mandell, an educator who advocated the creation of nurturing environments and family support as tools for academic success, this philosophy is continued by Mandell’s granddaughter, who serves as the current head of school. Serving students from preschool through eighth grade from its two locations on the Upper West Side, this for-profit, coeducational day school combines traditional and progressive teaching methods to foster conscientious and proactive citizens of the world.
Queens Paideia School
queenspaideiaschool.org
Located in Long Island City, Queens, Queens Paideia School was founded in 2009 by a group of concerned educators and parents who believed that the large classrooms prevalent throughout the educational system were hindering children’s potential. Queens Paideia School is an independent, K-8th school with a progressive approach that provides individual instruction and customized learning programs for each student, with a student-teacher ration of 5:1.
Speyer Legacy School
speyerlegacyschool.org
Speyer Legacy School on the Upper West Side was established in 2009 to cater to advanced learners. Inspired by an experimental NYC public school that existed in the 1930s, this new K-8th, coeducational school focuses on the education and development of children with exceptional learning abilities through an accelerated and augmented curriculum.
Upper West Side Playgroup
upperwestsideplaygroup.org
From its four uptown locations, the Upper West Side Playgroup provides all-day programs that strike a balance between childcare and preschool for children ages 3 months through 5 years. Upper West Side Playgroup’s philosophy is to “nurture the whole child” and provide a convenient, high-quality environment and services for working parents.
World Class Learning Academy
wclacademy.org
Open since 2011, World Class Learning Academy is a coed, private, British international school for students in grades pre-K through fifth grade. The East Village outpost is part of a network of World Class Learning schools in the United States, Qatar, and Spain. The school’s teachers are trained in the UK, and its curriculum is based upon the International Primary Curriculum and the English National Curriculum.
