Education and Schools in New York City


Moving to New York can often hinge on finding suitable education for one’s children. Public schools in New York operate more than 1,400 schools which can range from first-rate to inadequate. The better schools are naturally in wealthier sections of New York and individuals can usually only attend schools within their school zones, which are based on address. Attending schools outside of their zones is difficult but sometimes possible. There are publicly funded charter schools in New York but acceptance into these can be difficult. However, most New York schools are diverse and well accustomed to students from overseas. Some of the best public schools according to www.greatschools.net are Anderson School, Columbia Secondary and East Side Middle School.

In general education is much better in private institutions than in New York public schools but is very expensive. There are over 70 private schools to choose from in New York which can be extremely competitive academically. Many also have stringent acceptance procedures. Waiting lists can be long and prospective students must often pass academic tests and interviews. The process can be so daunting some hire private school consulting agencies to increase their child’s chances for top schools. New York's private high school tuition averages more than US$25,000 a year, the most expensive in the country, and bit less for lower age institutions.

There are also many international schools in New York that can be dually taught in English and a foreign language. These often continue a foreign curriculum. These too, often have long waiting lists and, like all private schools, students must apply well in advance. Generally tuition ranges from 8 to 15 thousand dollars a year in private institutions.

Search Expat Arrivals

Become our local expat expert for your city!

Expat Arrivals is looking for contributors to make this the ultimate guide for international expats.
If you are an established expat who could make time to spend a few hours a month writing useful information for expats in your city and answering forum questions from new and prospective expats, please contact us.
As our local expert you can have your profile showing on each page you publish, earn advertising revenue on that content, and promote your website or blog if you have one.