There are tons of Upper West Side schools, and many consider the UWS to be one of the best neighborhoods for both public and private educations. But because there are so many options, choosing the right one can seem like a daunting task … which is why we’ve put together this list. Read below to learn more about the programs and approaches each UWS school offers. And don’t forget to visit their official websites for information!
Private Schools Public Schools
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Upper West Side Private Schools:
Stephen Gaynor School
148 West 90th Street
A pioneer in special education, Stephen Gaynor School is an independent Pre-K, Lower, and Middle School for bright students with learning differences. Founded in 1962, Stephen Gaynor School provides a highly individualized educational program in a rich, rigorous, and nurturing environment in which students gain the skills and confidence necessary to learn, grow, and reach their full potential.
HUDSONWAY IMMERSION SCHOOL
175 Riverside Boulevard
HudsonWay Immersion School’s innovative approach to learning fosters children’s individual growth, development and creativity, transforming students from pre-K to fifth grade into global citizens of the world. In a comprehensive immersion environment, students receive in depth instruction in a wide breadth of academic subjects including language arts, math, science, and social studies, enabling them to become bilingual, bi-literate and bi-cultural. Offering full day and after school programs in both Mandarin and Spanish, HudsonWay Immersion School is fully committed to providing its students with a strong education in a culturally diverse setting. With the skills and cultural awareness engendered by HudsonWay’s talented and knowledgeable administration and teaching staff, students receive the valuable tools they need to successfully navigate, impact and change the world.
THE GATEWAY SCHOOL
211 West 61st Street
Founded in 1965, The Gateway School is an independent, co-ed day school for children ages 5-14 with language-based learning disabilities and/or attention deficit. It was among the first schools in the country to recognize that bright children who had difficulty learning simply had to be taught differently.
Gateway teaches the skills, strategies, and content necessary for students to realize their potential in school and in life. In a language-rich setting, students experience academic success, recognize their strengths, and develop self-advocacy skills.
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METROPOLITAN MONTESSORI SCHOOL
325 West 85th Street
The Metropolitan Montessori School has a preschool and an elementary school for children ages 3 through 12. The school’s program emphasizes on teaching children the life skills necessary to cope with independence form an early age.
Their signature nine-year program called “An Education for Life” consists on exploring the subjects each child is most interested in. The school welcomes those of different backgrounds to create a community that is warm and inclusive.
THE STUDIO SCHOOL
117 West 95th Street
The Studio School was founded in 1971 as an independent day school. The school’s curriculum enables students to use their creative abilities in order to make new connections and explore ideas.
The small class sizes allow for instructors to get a clear picture of each student’s academic progress. At The Studio School, learning is viewed as a journey full of discoveries. Their program strives to create children that will develop a strong concept of personal and social responsibility.
THE CALHOUN SCHOOL
433 West End Ave
The Calhoun School takes a personalized approach to learning. They focus on the strengths of each student in order to help them develop their intellect as well as their overall confidence.
The small class sizes ensure that teachers get to know each student’s unique abilities and talents. The education at Calhoun involves a great deal of experiential learning which is the practice of creating a dynamic classroom environment.
photo credit: Doctormichael~commonswiki
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DWIGHT SCHOOL
291 Central Park West
The Dwight School was founded in 1872 and serves as an independently operated school for grades pre-K through 12. They focus on creating well-rounded students so that they can become the innovative leaders of tomorrow.
Dwight’s curriculum follows the rigorous International Baccalaureate program. The teaching staff is dedicated towards creating an individual plan of learning for each and every student.
Dwight also has a day care for those with younger kids.
TRINITY SCHOOL
139 West 91st Street
Trinity School is a college preparatory independent day school for Grades K through 12. It was originally founded as a charity school in 1709 at the Trinity Church, which is also located on the Upper West Side.
The school welcomes students that are of different religious beliefs, backgrounds, and socioeconomic status. In fact, 41% of the students currently enrolled at Trinity are of color. They are deeply committed to helping students discover their own identity and unique role in the world.
COLLEGIATE SCHOOL
301 Freedom Place South (formerly at 260 West 78th Street).
The Collegiate School is a private school for boys from Kindergarten to grade 12. Their mission is to help each student achieve their maximum potential through a rigorous learning program.
This West Side school is divided into the different levels according to grade: lower school (Kindergarten through Grade 4), middle school (Grades 5 through Grade 8), and upper school (Grades 9 through Grade 12). The small size of the school enables students to get a more interactive experience from the classroom.
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BASIS INDEPENDENT MANHATTAN
795 Columbus Ave.
At BASIS Independent Manhattan, a PreK–grade 8 private school, students are inspired to learn at the highest international levels in an accelerated liberal arts and sciences curriculum built from top educational systems around the world. Educators with subject-specific expertise lead every discipline—from Mandarin to fine arts, engineering to advanced mathematics, logic to world history, and more. These teachers use their passion and depth of knowledge to help students grow into creative problem solvers who are poised to tackle whatever challenges come their way. The school fosters a joyful learning culture where hard work is celebrated and intellectual pursuits result in extraordinary outcomes, and is founded on the belief that with the right tools, encouragement, and support, any motivated child can achieve academic success.
manhattan.basisindependent.com
BLESSED SACRAMENT SCHOOL
147 West 70th Street
The Blessed Sacrament prides itself on offering a top-notch Catholic education to its students from Pre-K all the way to 8th grade. They provide a rich environment for students in which to progress both intellectually as well as socially.
Their core curriculum mixes various disciplines such as religion, reading, english, math, and science into one neat program. Their graduates go on to attend prestigious Catholic high schools.
RODEPH SHOLOM SCHOOL
10 West 84th Street
Rodeph Sholom School is the only Reform Jewish day school in all of New York City. They offer students in grades from pre-K to 8th grade an academic program that’s based on Jewish principles and ethics.
This West Side school was founded in 1958 and has since been launching today’s students into the capable adults of tomorrow. The staff at RSS is dedicated to the well-being of its pupils and the surrounding community at large.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL SCHOOL
30 West End Ave
The Abraham Joshua Heschel School was founded by Peter Geffen in 1981. It is named after one of the more influential rabbis in history: Rabbi Heschel.
This independent Jewish day school offers a diverse education in a caring environment. Their mission is to help develop a student’s abilities to their full potential through a commitment to Jewish values. The teachers at the school maintain practices that help the students develop their spiritual self and therefore increase their predisposition for learning.
THE GODDARD SCHOOL
2495 Broadway
The Goddard School has campuses on both the Upper West and Upper East Side of Manhattan. The school offers education to infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and pre-kindergarteners. Their curriculum is customized to the needs of each individual child. Teachers perform songs and read stories in order to create a stimulating environment where the child has fun learning. Their mission is to create students that will be ready to successfully make the transition to the classroom.
COLUMBIA GRAMMAR AND PREPARATORY SCHOOL
5 West 93rd Street
The Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School was founded in 1764. The staff is dedicated to educating students in a safe environment where ideas and creativity are encouraged. Their academic program offers a carefully crafted combination of liberal arts and sciences in order to prepare students for success in college. The CGPS focuses on creating students of good moral character that are able to bridge differences between those of diverse backgrounds.
photo by jim.henderson
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TREVOR DAY SCHOOL
1 West 88th Street
The Trevor Day School is an independent day school that serves to students from Nursery to Grade 12. The school encourages each student to bring forth their inner good genius. This refers to the student’s ability to overcome challenges by seeking information and being intellectually courageous. The dedicated teachers at Trevor believe that students should take the matter of learning into their own hands. Their mission is to create well-rounded individuals who are proactive with their own lives in and out of the classroom.
PROFESSIONAL CHILDREN’S SCHOOL
132 West 60th Street
The Professional Children’s School is an independent day school that offers a competitive college preparatory program from grade 6 to grade 12. They specialize in students who are working or aspire to work in the arts.
Their mission is to provide their students with a supportive environment that allows students to meet their goals and reach their endeavors. The instructors at PCS cater to the needs of each student by helping them cope with the pressures of life.
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON SCHOOL
24 West 74th Street
The Robert Louis Stevenson School was founded in 1908 in the heart of the Upper West Side. Stevenson, the name the school is most commonly known for, serves students from grades 6 to grade 12.
The Stevenson School is Manhattan’s only therapeutic college preparatory independent school. The class sizes are small and average about 8 students per classroom. The student body at the school is diverse and the environment is caring and intimate.
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YORK PREP SCHOOL
40 West 68th Street
York Preparatory School is an independent coeducational preparatory day school that serves to students in grades six through twelve. The school’s small student to teacher ratio allows for learning to be personalized to the needs of each individual.
The core curriculum includes disciplines such as English, mathematics, social studies, science, and foreign language. YPS distinguishes itself from others schools with its use of tracking. This system places students on Honors courses according to their strengths to allows them work at a more rapid pace.
ALEXANDER ROBERTSON SCHOOL
3 West 95th Street
The Alexander Robertson School is an independent small school that’s operated by the Second Presbyterian Church on the Upper West Side of NYC. The school is co-educational and serves students from Junior-Kindergarten to 5th grade.
This Manhattan private school opened its doors for the first time in 1789 and in doing so became one of the first schools to be founded in New York City. Their curriculum encourages students to take advantage of the city’s cultural resources in order to increase their self-confidence.
BROWNSTONE SCHOOL
128 West 80th Street
The Brownstone School is dedicated to creating a warm community where students feel like they’re at a home away from home. They specialize on taking a play-based approach to early childhood education. The school was founded in 1963 and has since then approached learning from an emotional, social, intellectual, and physical perspective. The teachers here help each child develop their self-confidence so they can go on and become successful lifelong students.
MANHATTAN DAY SCHOOL
310 West 75th Street
The Manhattan Day School is a Jewish Yeshiva elementary school that was founded in 1943. The school has an early childhood department that serves to students in grades K through grade 8.
MDS offers summer and science camps for students and counts with a wide after-school repertoire of activities. The education program teaches general and Judaic studies. Faculty members guide each child on their quest to reach spiritual maturity through the understanding of the Torah.
SMITH SCHOOL
131 West 86th Street
The Smith School was founded in 1990 as a non-sectarian private and co-educational school. It strives to provide quality alternative education to its students.
The school’s small student to teacher ratio (5:1) creates a setting that focuses on personalized instruction and interactive learning. The enrollment doesn’t surpass a total of 50 students that are placed in grades 7 through 12. There are no more than six students in each class.
Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan
805 Columbus Ave
Solomon Schechter is a private Jewish school. Their students cultivate their Jewish identities through joyful prayer, exploration of the Torah’s wisdom, mastery of Hebrew, and participation in Jewish life. They engage, support, and challenge one another as members of a collaborative, caring community. Schechter Manhattan graduates confidently go forth to meet the intellectual, social, and moral challenges that lie ahead, poised not only to do well in life, but also to do good in the world.
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Upper West Side Public Schools
P.S. 87 WILLIAM SHERMAN SCHOOL
160 West 78th Street
PS 87 is a public elementary school that’s home to a large and diverse student body. The school maintains the vision that children, staff, and parents are all important members of the community. Their style of communication helps the parents stay connected to what’s happening at the school at all times. The teachers are dedicated to their students and strive to help them develop their creative talents.
P.S. 145 THE BLOOMINGDALE SCHOOL
150 West 105th Street
This Manhattan Valley school uses technology as part of their everyday curriculum. They believe in the crucial importance technology will play throughout the 21st century. Teachers here implement a combination of face-to-face learning along with online teaching. Their mission is to shape students that are aware of the world’s issues and can work their way through problems independently. They strive to build excellent reading comprehension skills and oral reading fluency in each and every one of their students.
P.S. 163 ALFRED E. SMITH SCHOOL
163 West 97th Street
PS 163 is an elementary public school located on the Upper West Side that serves to those in grades Pre-K through grade 5. They offer four different educational programs: integrated co-teaching, general education, gifted & talented, and a dual language English and Spanish program. Their core curriculum focuses on the arts, sciences, and new technologies to expose students to a wide array of subjects.
P.S. 166 THE RICHARD RODGERS SCHOOL OF THE ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY
132 West 89th Street
The educators and staff at PS 166 believe that all students can reach their maximum potential with the right encouragement. Their core curriculum mixes the arts and technology in order to ensure each child’s smooth transition into an ever increasingly digital world. They offer a gifted and talented program and a dual language program where teachers instruct in both English and Spanish.
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P.S. 84 THE LILLIAN WEBER SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
32 West 92nd Street
PS 84 prides itself in taking care of every member in their community as if they were part of one big family. From the teachers to the office staff, everyone plays a crucial role in making the school a great place. Each student that attends Weber follows the ROAR motto. This stands for respect, open-minded, achieve, and responsible. They offer special dual language programs in both Spanish and French.
P.S. 191 THE MUSEUM MAGNET SCHOOL
300 West 61st Street
The Museum Magnet School is composed of an inclusive and diverse community that teaches children to collaborate with each other through teamwork. Their vision is to ensure that each child learns to love learning while also preparing them for the world of tomorrow. Students participate in projects inside the classroom and outside in the surrounding community. Teachers apply a project based learning as a component of their social-emotional growth program.
P.S. 333 MANHATTAN SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN
154 West 93rd Street
PS 333 offers elementary and middle school education from grades K through 8. The instructors at Manhattan School for Children implement a program that combines both reading and mathematics. Their curriculum involves having the children learning by doing as well as by engaging in cooperative problem solving. The school at MSC sees a lot of parent involvement which creates a tight-knit community for both students and the staff.
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SPECIAL MUSIC SCHOOL
129 West 67th Street
The Special Music School is a one-of-a-kind public school in Manhattan that’s geared towards those children who are musically gifted. SMS operates as a public school in conjunction with the New York City Department of Education and the Kaufman Music Center. Their program focuses on a curriculum that’s oriented towards music classes while also offering general education courses.
P.S. 334 THE ANDERSON SCHOOL
100 West 77th Street
The Anderson School is a public school for gifted children starting in kindergarten through grade 8. The program accepts students from New York City’s five boroughs. Their academic program focuses on the social, emotional, and educational developmental needs of each child. Students selected come from a vast array of different backgrounds and are encouraged to learn together. Instructors create a program that engages students through a variety of stimulating projects and assignments.
P.S. 199 JESSIE ISIDOR STRAUS
270 West 70th Street
Jessie Isidor Straus is in District 3 and serves to children who are in grades K through 5. PS 199 has a School Leadership Team program in place which allows for a group of both parents and staff ensure that students are being provided with the best education. This is beneficial for both the children and the school’s community at large. The instructors here are known for their engaging and exciting lessons.
P.S. 75 EMILY DICKINSON
735 West End Ave
PS 75 is a public elementary school that’s committed to providing quality education for students in grades K through 5. They offer a dual language program in English and Spanish. The school’s diverse and inclusive to those of different backgrounds. Students learn to work together while learning about math, science, and social studies. Many of NYC’s iconic institutions are visited to provide students with hands-on experiences.
P.S. 811 THE MICKEY MANTLE SCHOOL
466 West End Ave.
The Mickey Mantle School is a public school offering elementary and middle school education to students in grades from Pre-K through 8. They serve to those students who are disabled ages 5 to 14. PS 811 also offers inclusion programs for students with disabilities. The school’s values are founded on the principles of integrity, compassion, and respect. The instructors gather individual data from each child’s achievements in hopes of transforming their disabilities into outstanding abilities.
photo by Team Boerum
P.S. 165 ROBERT E. SIMON
234 West 109th Street
This Morningside Heights public school serves to children from Pre-K all the way up to 8th grade. They offer a dual-language program, G&T, and a special education program. The school comes with a School Leadership Team called SLT that allows members of the staff and parents to cooperate together. They ensure that the Comprehensive Educational Plan continues to be implemented and that it meets the need of each student.
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PS 452
210 West 61st Street
PS 452’s mission is to create a community where members of different cultures can interact and learn from each other. The teachers at this school encourage students to go out there and learn by exploring their sense of imagination. The school’s Social Studies and Science program is designed to develop critical thinking skills while working through project-based learning. At PS 452, it is each teacher’s goal to make sure students develop their best strengths and abilities.
P.S. 9 SARAH ANDERSON SCHOOL
100 West 84th Street
The Sarah Anderson School is a public elementary school that serves to students in grades K through 5. The school’s mission is to ensure each child’s success in the classroom. The community at Sarah Anderson is inclusive and diverse. They offer an enrichment program with a strong Spanish component for all grades as well as a cross-curricular arts integration.
