New York, United States
International schools in New York: what families need to know
New York has one of the deepest private and independent school markets anywhere, plus French, Japanese, German and IB schools serving families who expect to move on again. Admissions here run a year ahead of the start date and are more formal than in most cities: applications, assessments, interviews and a single notification date. The year runs September to June. This guide covers how the cycle works, curricula, fees, neighbourhoods and what to do if you arrive off-cycle.
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What you tell us
- Where you are moving
- New York
- Children
- Sofia (age 8) · Luca (age 5)
- Curriculum
- British preferred
- Start
- August
You tell us once, for every child. Your adviser assesses the brief and contacts relevant admissions teams on your behalf.
Example only. School names in these examples are fictional.
New York in short
- Curricula available in New York: US independent-school programmes with AP, plus IB, French, German and Japanese schools.
- The New York school year runs Early September to mid-June, in two semesters or three trimesters, with the main intake at the start of it.
- Schools are overseen by New York State Education Department; independent schools are typically accredited by NYSAIS.
- Tuition is published per year group by each school. Registration, deposit, transport, uniform, meals and examination entries are normally billed separately.
- Availability is decided per child, per year group and per campus, so two children in one family can get two different answers from the same New York school.
- You tell us what your family needs once, and see matched New York schools with places, fees and next steps.
Prepared by InternationalSchools.orgPublished September 2026Last reviewed September 2026
New York at a glance
The facts that shape a New York school search
- Oversight
- New York State Education Department; independent schools are typically accredited by NYSAIS
- Main curricula
- US independent-school programmes with AP, plus IB, French, German and Japanese schools
- School year
- Early September to mid-June, in two semesters or three trimesters
- Ages served
- Nursery from about age 2 or 3 through Grade 12 at about 17 or 18
- Language
- English; dual-language provision at the international schools
How admissions work in New York
Most New York schools follow the same stages, whatever the curriculum.
- 1
Enquire and check the year group
Confirm the year group each child would enter in New York. Age cut-offs differ between systems, so the same child can be placed a year apart in two schools.
- 2
Assessment
Most schools assess before offering a place. This can be a short online task, a classroom visit or a subject test, depending on age.
- 3
Offer, deposit and registration
An offer is usually held only after a registration fee or deposit is paid. Check whether either is refundable before you accept.
Documents to prepare
Some documents can take time to arrange from abroad. Start collecting them before you have chosen a school.
- Passport and, where required, visa or residence documents for each child
- Birth certificate
- School reports for the last two years
- Transfer or leaving certificate from the previous school
- Vaccination and health records
- Any learning support or assessment reports, shared early rather than late
More detail: how international-school admissions work.
Curricula families meet in New York
We explain each system once, in the curricula library, rather than repeating it city by city.
British curriculum
IGCSE and A Level, and how English year groups are set by age.
International Baccalaureate
PYP, MYP and the Diploma, and who the IB suits on a later move.
American curriculum
US grades, high-school credits and AP, with their own placement rules.
Changing curriculum mid-move
What transfers cleanly between systems and where a child may repeat or skip a year.
The New York school year and when to apply
Timing decides how much choice you have. These are the stages most families move through.
Six to nine months ahead
Start looking for the main intake
Popular year groups in New York fill first, and assessment slots become scarce close to the intake.
Three to six months ahead
Assessments and offers
Schools assess, then make offers within days or weeks. Registration fees and deposits usually follow immediately.
One to three months ahead
Places confirmed, waiting lists move
Waiting lists move as leaving families release places, so keep asking rather than assuming a school is closed.
Start of the school year
Term begins
The New York school year runs early September to mid-June, in two semesters or three trimesters.
Mid-year
In-year entry
Possible, but limited to whichever year groups have room. This is where asking schools directly saves the most time.
What school costs in New York
Published tuition is the starting figure, not the total. These are the charges to budget for.
What the New York market costs, in round numbers
Premium band- Primary, per year
- USD 38,000 – 58,000
- Secondary, per year
- USD 45,000 – 68,000
- Roughly, in US dollars
- US$38,000 – 68,000
Indicative annual tuition across mainstream international schools, for the stated academic year. Individual schools publish their own fees per year group, the top of each market runs above these ranges, and registration, deposits, transport, uniform, meals and examination entries are billed separately. Figures refer to the 2025/26 academic year. Compare fees across cities.
- Tuition
- Published per year group by each school
- Registration fee
- Charged at application or offer stage, usually non-refundable
- Deposit
- Secures the place and is often deducted from the first term's tuition
- Transport
- School transport is charged separately and varies by distance and route
- Uniform, books, devices
- One-off costs at the start of the year, higher in the first year
- Meals and activities
- Optional at most schools, but a real part of the annual budget
- Examination entries
- IGCSE, A Level, IB and AP entries are billed in the exam years
See also understanding international school fees.
Places and waiting lists
Which New York schools have places for your children?
A place is not something a school has in general. It exists for one year group, at one campus, for one intake. Two children in the same family can get two different answers from the same school on the same day.
School websites cannot tell you this. Availability changes when a family leaves, when a contract ends, or when a new year group opens. That is why relevant schools answer directly instead of publishing a number that would be out of date by the time you read it.
For each child, a New York school can answer that a place is available, that there is a waiting list, that the intake is full, or that it cannot confirm yet. You see the answer, the fees and the next step, and you decide where to focus.
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Your schools · 2 children · British curriculum · Starting August
Westbrook International School
From the school
North campus · British · Annual fees: Confirmed for your intake
Fees confirmed for the academic year you asked about
- Sofia · Year 4Place availablePlace available for August
- Luca · Year 1Place availablePlace available for August
Next step: Assessment, then offer
Harbour Ridge Academy
From the school
City campus · British · Annual fees: Confirmed for your intake
Fees confirmed for the academic year you asked about
- Sofia · Year 4Place availablePlace available for August
- Luca · Year 1Waiting listWaiting list, reviewed monthly
Next step: Campus visit, then assessment
Elmfield International College
From our team
Main campus · British · Annual fees: Earlier-year reference fee
Fees for your intake not yet confirmed
- Sofia · Year 4Not confirmedPlaces not yet confirmed
- Luca · Year 1Not confirmedPlaces not yet confirmed
Next step: We ask admissions to confirm
Every option says who provided the information and whether places are confirmed. Your adviser explains what each answer means for your children.
Example school options. School names in these examples are fictional.
Choosing where to live in New York
We do not rank areas. These are the questions that decide whether a school works day to day.
Upper East Side and Upper West Side
The traditional independent-school districts, walkable to many schools, with family-sized apartments at a premium.
Brooklyn: Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, Cobble Hill
More space and a strong independent and public school mix, with a subway commute into Manhattan.
Downtown Manhattan: Tribeca, Battery Park City, West Village
Popular with relocating finance families, close to work, with a small number of well-known schools nearby.
Westchester, Long Island and northern New Jersey
Houses, gardens and strong public school districts, chosen by families willing to trade a commute for space.
Moving to New York with children: a checklist
The school-related steps that decide how smooth the first term is.
- Confirm each child's year group under the curriculum you are moving to in New York.
- Collect and, where required, attest school reports and certificates before you leave.
- Ask schools about places for every child in the same request, not one at a time.
- Check whether registration fees and deposits are refundable if your move date changes.
- Check the visa or residency steps that enrolment can depend on.
- Ask about learning support early, since capacity is decided case by case.
- Line up housing only after you know which school can take all of your children.
See also the moving-abroad timeline.
Moving with more than one child
One school that works for every child, not one child
Most families moving to New York are moving with more than one child, and the hardest part is rarely finding a good school. It is finding one school that can take all of your children in the same year.
Checking each child separately, school by school, is where the search becomes slow. A school that has room in Year 1 may be full in Year 4, and you only learn that after two emails and a wait.
One request covers every child. Each school answers for each child, so you can see immediately where all of your children could start together, and where you would be splitting the family across two schools.
- Ask once for the whole family, not once per child.
- See sibling answers side by side before you contact anyone.
- Ask about sibling priority and start dates while places are still open.
Your schools, side by side
Westbrook International School
- Information
- From the school
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- North campus
- Annual fees
- Confirmed for your intake
- Next step
- Assessment, then offer
Harbour Ridge Academy
- Information
- From the school
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- City campus
- Annual fees
- Confirmed for your intake
- Next step
- Campus visit, then assessment
Elmfield International College
- Information
- From our team
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- Main campus
- Annual fees
- Earlier-year reference fee
- Next step
- We ask admissions to confirm
Westbrook International School
Harbour Ridge Academy
Elmfield International College
Sofia · Year 4
Luca · Year 1
Information
From the school
From the school
From our team
Curriculum
British
British
British
Area
North campus
City campus
Main campus
Annual fees
Confirmed for your intake
Confirmed for your intake
Earlier-year reference fee
Next step
Assessment, then offer
Campus visit, then assessment
We ask admissions to confirm
Example comparison. School names in these examples are fictional.
How schooling works in New York
Independent schools set their own admissions and are usually accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools. Public schools are free and enrolment is tied to your residential address, so the apartment you sign often decides the school you get.
The admissions cycle runs a year ahead
For a September start, most independent schools open applications the previous autumn, assess and interview through the winter, and notify families together in late winter or early spring.
If you are relocating on a shorter timeline you are applying off-cycle. That is normal and schools handle it, but availability depends on who has left rather than on how many places exist. Ask each school directly whether a place exists in your child's grade.
Public school by address, private school by application
New York City public schools are zoned by address for elementary, with choice programmes and screened admissions later. A strong zoned school is a real alternative to fees, and rents in those zones reflect it.
Suburban districts in Westchester, Long Island and New Jersey work the same way: you enrol by proving residency. Check the district before you sign a lease, not after.
Assessments, interviews and what schools look at
Younger applicants may be observed in a playgroup; older applicants sit an admissions test and are interviewed, and schools ask for reports and teacher references from the current school.
Request transcripts and references before you leave your current country. Reports in another language usually need a translation, and chasing them after the move is the most common source of delay.
Fees, financial aid and the real annual cost
Independent school tuition in the city sits at the top of the global range, and most schools bill annually or in two instalments with a tuition-refund insurance option.
Application fees, deposits, technology, lunch, buses, trips and after-school programmes are separate. Many schools offer need-based financial aid, but it is usually reserved for families already resident and is decided on documented income.
Arriving mid-year
Mid-year entry happens, mostly where a family has left. Schools will tell you quickly whether a grade is full, so ask early and ask several.
If nothing opens for the current year, families often use the zoned public school for a term or two and reapply into the main cycle for September.
What families get wrong in New York
The local details that cost families a term, a deposit or a long daily drive.
Applying in the same year you want to start
The main cycle runs a full year ahead. Late applicants are working with whatever places open up.
Signing a lease before checking the school zone
Public school enrolment follows your address. Confirm the zoned school first.
Arriving without transcripts and references
Schools ask for them at application. Collect and translate documents before you move.
Budgeting tuition only
Deposits, lunch, buses, trips, technology and after-school programmes sit outside tuition.
Assuming financial aid is open to new arrivals
Most aid is need-based, documented and prioritised for current families. Ask before you count on it.
Official New York resources
Primary sources for regulation, inspection and enrolment. We link out rather than paraphrase.
How InternationalSchools.org works in New York
Tell us what your family needs once, and see matched schools in New York with places, fees and next steps.
- 1
Tell us about your family and New York
Your children's ages and year groups, the curriculum you prefer, your budget and when you want to start. One brief covers every child named in it.
- 2
Your adviser researches New York
A 30-minute consultation, then research of the schools in New York that suit each child, and contact with relevant admissions teams about your start date.
- 3
Receive your recommendations
Three recommended schools plus up to two alternatives where suitable, with written reasoning for each child, a review call and follow-up questions answered for 30 days.
We do not publish scores or predict availability. How we select schools.
Questions families ask about New York
Find international schools in New York for your children
One conversation, every child, answers from the schools themselves.
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Go deeper on New York
How fees compare across cities
What is published, what is billed separately and how New York compares with the other markets we cover.
Compare the main curricula
British, IB and American side by side, and what a later move between countries changes.
How admissions work
The stages most international schools use, and where relocating families lose time.
Continue reading
Waiting lists and availability
How waiting lists really work, and what to ask before you join one.
School year and intake timing
When places open, and what a mid-year move changes.
How it works
From telling us what you need to answers from the schools themselves.
Other destinations
You can search any destination, published guide or not.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Guide version 3.1. New York information is compiled from official regulators, curriculum authorities and school-published material. Fees, intakes and requirements are set by individual schools and change, so confirm details directly with a school before you rely on them.
Sources
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