The Private School X-Factor
For many Manhattan parents, getting their children into a top-tier private school is an endeavor that starts before the kids are even born. Wading through the rankings, reputations and educational standings to decide where to apply is just one step in the long process, and entire companies exist just to rate these schools and assist families in getting admitted to their top choices.
We won't step on their (very profitable) toes here - our list is designed to give a snippet of information on the private schools in your neighborhood. Our aim is to showcase the one or two things that set each of these schools apart from the pack. They're all academically rigorous and educationally prestigious, and most are similar in cost. But where might you look to send your bright young aspiring chef who's just as interested in food science as history, or the promising athlete who might have a shot at the 2026 Olympics as well as the Ivy League? One of the benefits of private school is that the small size allows the schools to offer specialties, something that sets them apart from their peers, and which will hopefully allow their students to do the same.
Our list was compiled by researching information provided by the schools as well as recent news coverage. We included, where available, stats on student population and tuition, too. We chose the most well-known private institutions on the Upper East Side.
132 East 78th Street
212-288-6710
www.allen-stevenson.org
K-9
Enrollment: 419 students
Tuition: $39,770
Allen-Stevenson is known for their work on energy and the environment, receiving an Energy Star rating from the U.S. Department of Energy and being the first elementary school in the United States to receive LEED Gold Certification for Existing Buildings
The Beekman School and Tutoring Center
220 East 50th Street
212-755-6666
www.beekmanschool.org
9-12
Enrollment: 70 ? 85 students
Tuition: $36,000
Beekman takes a highly personalized approach to education and specializes in one-on-one teaching and tutoring.
The Birch-Wathen Lenox School
210 East 77th Street
212-861-0404
www.bwl.org
K-12
Enrollment: 575 students
Tuition: $41,412 - $42,534
Birch-Wathen Lenox is known for their ongoing Science Initiative that was introduced to the school in 2011 and has resulted in a growing program, which includes an Accelerated Research in Science Education (ARISE) program for Upper School students performing inquiry-based university level research.
The Brearley School
610 East 83rd Street
212-744-8582
www.brearley.org
K-12
Enrollment: 698 students
6:1 student to faculty ratio
Tuition: $39,900
Brearley is known as one of the best K-12 all girls prep schools in the nation and is ranked number two in sending the most students to Harvard, Yale and Princeton Universities.
The Browning School
52 East 62nd Street
212-838-6280
www.browning.edu
N-12
Enrollment: 396 students
7:1 student to teacher ratio
Tuition: $41,200
Browning is known for its highly selective admissions process with only a 30 percent acceptance rate. Browning does not admit students for 11th and 12th grades and very rarely for 10th grade.
The Buckley School
113 East 73rd Street
212-535-8787
www.buckleyschool.org
K-9
Enrollment: 374 students
Buckley is known for their varsity wrestling team which participates in the King of the Ring Tournament and has won 26 consecutive years in a row.
The Caedmon School
416 East 80th Street
212-879-2296
www.caedmonschool.org
N-5
Enrollment: 280 students
8:1 student to faculty ratio
Tuition: $22,000 - $33,500
Caedmon is known for utilizing a modified version of the Montessori education which highly focuses on self-directed, independent learning. It was the first Montessori school established in the city and the second in the nation.
The Cathedral School
319 East 74th Street #8
212-249-2840
www.cathedralschoolny.org
N-8
Enrollment: 163 students
10:1 student to teacher ratio
Tuition: $14,500 - $16,500
As the only Greek Orthodox school in Manhattan, The Cathedral School strives to combine a Western education with an appreciation for Greek language, culture and history with a motto of "Education through Classics"
The Chapin School
100 East End Avenue
212-744-2335
www.chapin.edu
K-12
Enrollment: 755 students
7:1 student to faculty ratio
Tuition: $39,300
The Chapin School is known, in addition to its rigorous academics, for its strong athletics teams. Last year, their varsity soccer and JV volleyball teams were tournament champions and their varsity basketball, varsity gymnastics and varsity badminton teams were both season winners and tournament champions. Students also recently participated in the New York/New Jersey Baykeeper's Oyster Restoration Program to determine whether oysters can survive in the waterways of New York.
Convent of the Sacred Heart
1 East 91st Street
212-722-4745
www.cshnyc.org
N-12
Tuition: $28,500 - $42,810
In addition to being the city of New York's oldest private school for girls, Convent of the Sacred Heart is known for their extensive study abroad program. About 40 percent of sophomores study at a worldwide network of Sacred Heart schools from Washington D.C. to France to Taiwan.
The Dalton School
108 East 89th Street
212-423-5200
www.dalton.org
K-12
Enrollment: 1300 students
Tuition: $40,220
The school is most well-known for its educational plan, "The Dalton Plan," founded by Helen Parkhurst, which has been the model for over 200 schools around the world and aims to balance a child's talent with the needs of a community.
The Hewitt School
45 East 75th Street
212-288-1919
www.hewittschool.org
K-12
Enrollment: 520 students
An all-girls school, Hewitt is known for its recent 2012 Strategic Plan to culminate the best practices of a 21st Century educations. A student recently won the top prize from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for a photography portfolio featuring photos of her grandmother.
Loyola School
980 Park Avenue
212-288-3522
www.loyola-nyc.org
9-12
Tuition: $33,100
As a Jesuit Catholic school, Loyola is known for its community service known as the Christian Service program which requires its students to take a reflective class for all four years in addition to an active service requirement.
Lycée Français de New York
505 East 75th Street
212-369-1400
www.lfny.org
N-12
Enrollment: 1,350 students
Tuition: $29,100
As one of two N-12 French international schools in New York, Lycée Français is among the most renowned bilingual French schools in North America.
Manhattan Country School
7 East 96th Street
212-348-0952
www.manhattancountryschool.org
N-8
Enrollment: 200 students
Tuition:$37,000 - $39,900, with sliding scale available
The Manhattan School is known for, in addition to their city campus, having a farm in the Catskill Mountains that students visit, learning about the environment and energy conservation. The farm also plays a role in 8th grade graduation requirements where each student must: milk a cow and manage barn chores, bake with yeast, prepare a meal for the whole class, produce an original textile and participate in a mock town meeting on a current environmental issue.
Marymount School of New York
1026-1028 Fifth Avenue
212-744-4486
www.marymountnyc.org
N-12
Enrollment: 704 students
6:1 student to faculty ratio
Tuition: $24,425 - $41,865
Marymount is the only school in New York that is a member of the GAINS Network that seeks to develop a strong, sustainable network of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) students, encouraging young women to pursue careers that are severely underrepresented by women. A student was recently recognized by the National Council of Women in Technology's Aspirations with a Computing Award.
The Montessori Family School
323 East 47th Street
212-688-5950
www.amshq.org
N-6
Enrollment: 200 students
The Montessori Family School focuses on the Montessori Method of education, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, with an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child's natural psychological, physical, and social development.
The Nightingale-Bamford School
20 East 92nd Street
212-289-5020
www.nightingale.org
K-12
Enrollment: 580 students
7:1 student to faculty ratio
Tuition: $39,985
Nightinglae-Bamford is known for its commitment to community service with a civic engagement and social leadership seminar required for Class IX with students from Classes X-XII required to make a sustained service commitment with at least two being outside of the school. Their Upper and Middle school teams recently qualified for the Technovation Challenge World Pitch, the world's largest app development competition for girls.
The Rudolf Steiner School
15 East 78th Street
212-879-1101
www.steiner.edu
N-12
Tuition: $26,300 - $41,200
The Rudolf Steiner School has the recognition of being the first Waldorf School established in North America. Waldorf schools follow an approach to pedagogy based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner and distinguish three broad stages in child development.
Saint David's School
12 East 89th Street
212-369-0058
www.saintdavids.org
N-8
Enrollment: 420 students
Tuition: $27,345 - $41,000
Saint David's is known for their intensive arts program. From choosing one instrument throughout fifth grade to pottery from grades 1-8 to annual plays per grade, Saint David's strongly encourages its students to dapple in subjects often ignored by other schools.
The Spence School
22 East 91 st Street
212-289-5940
www.spenceschool.org
K-12
Enrollment: 736 students
7:1 student to faculty ratio in Middle and Upper Schools
Tuition: $43,000
The Spence School is known for placing a huge emphasis on diversity with an assortment of clubs that focus on minority groups for both students and parents.
St. Bernard's School
4 East 98th Street
212-289-2878
www.stbernards.org
K-9
Tuition: $40,680
St. Bernard's is known for the emphasis they place on public speaking. In daily assemblies of the Junior, Middle, and Upper schools, the students speak in front of the school by reciting poems and delivering reports on games and events. The eighth grade has its own debating society and annually performs a Shakespeare play (a tradition since 1910).
The Town School
540 East 76th Street
212-288-4383
www.thetownschool.org
N-8
Enrollment: 400 students
6:1 student to faculty ratio
Tuition: $28,000 - $40,600
The Town School is known for hosting Breakthrough New York, a program committed to helping lower income students prepare for admittance into preparatory high schools.
The Trevor Day School
11 East 89th Street New York, NY 10128
212-426-3300
www.trevor.org
N-5 (6-12 is on West Side)
Tuition: $34,650 - $41,600
Trevor Day is known for its experiential learning education where students are encouraged to construct their own meanings as opposed to simple regurgitation. In the classroom, the students are in charge for the learning of the class with the teacher acting more like a facilitator to keep class structured.
United Nations International School
24-50 FDR Drive
212-684-7400
www.unis.org
K-12
Enrollment: 1300 students
Tuition: $30,515 - $33,975
The school promotes diversity of persons and cultures in consideration of the United Nations Charter. It was established in 1947 by a group of parents affiliated with the UN to provide an international education for their children while promoting and respecting diverse cultural heritages.