The Studio School

This is our second year at The Studio School. Last year our oldest son was in kindergarten, and now both of our children are enrolled: our youngest in kindergarten and our oldest in a mixed-age first/second grade classroom.Our oldest is naturally reserved and academically focused, and at Studio he has grown so much more comfortable advocating for and expressing himself, at school just as he does at home. I''ve grown alongside him as a parent, and I truly value the guidance from school leadership. Academically, the teachers are intentional and attentive, building on each child''s strengths and working on growth areas without comparison or rushing.The community and school events are special, especially in a city that moves as fast as New York. Studio has helped our family slow down, be present, and be more intentional with one another. It''s a joy watching our son grow into his own person, building a foundation for independent thinking, curiosity, kindness, and a rich academic journey.We feel fortunate to be at a school that aligns with our values, where our children are nurtured, safe, and truly known by the people who support them. A school that understands child development and brain science, beyond just grades, means everything to us.

Why Studio? At Studio, emotional grounding is the basis for academic development. We did not understand this until our now 9-year-old joined the studio in 2022. In fact, we did not fully comprehend the meaning of Studio's motto "an education from the inside out," which is intrinsic to its curriculum, until our son started to manifest his academic strengths and weaknesses. The latter in particular have been the most exciting to witness, for it is because of the emotional grounding and academic support that Studio provides that our son has been able to take on academic challenges with calm resolve. But it's perhaps Ms. Rotter's (Head of School) remarkable understanding of child academic development and psychology that Studio has turned into such an integral part of our family and of the way we now approach learning. Unlike other Heads of School, Ms. Rotter knows every single one of the students (and parents) at Studio and, with her team of outstanding educators, develops individualized and highly effective learning strategies and objectives for the family. Each kid learns differently. This fact meets a thriving context at Studio. Moreover, Ms. Mabey's (Head of Teaching & Learning) curriculum expertise, from development to group and individual implementation, seals the academic rigor we experience at Studio. For instance, at Parent/Teacher meetings, Ms. Mabey regularly teams up with head teachers to augment our understanding of our child's development more comprehensively (by discipline and across the disciplines) and to identify practicable strategies to contribute to this development at home. This has proven particularly effective for us, and we have been able to create an atmosphere at home that is congruent with Studio's pedagogy. This, in turn, helps our son maintain steady progress. At Studio, we are all developing together. It's a family affair. But Studio's curriculum also shines for its interdisciplinarity, combining language (Spanish and English), math, science and history all in "One World." On any given day at Studio, children can learn US history along with math principles while concurrently learning the differences between these disciplines. The studio's mathematics curriculum is extremely efficient. My son is learning math is not just a set of numbers, but a language reflected in everyday life, in every board game we play, at the park and at subway stations. Everywhere. Hence, Studio's curriculum is not about academics in a vacuum, nor academics for academics' sake. It's a complete education, making connections from the school to home and everywhere in between. Now that we have seen our kid grow older at Studio, we see someone who is turning into an emotionally intelligent human and someone who enjoys learning. Someone who understands his weaknesses and is unafraid to work on them. Someone who understands his strengths and actively works on maintaining them. Someone who is increasingly less scared of his inner self and comfortable bringing his persona to the table. Thus far, this is a clear outcome of Studio's education "from the inside out" approach. This is why we continue to choose Studio.

The Studio School is a wonderful school in a lovely setting on the Upper West Side of New York. The faculty is amazing, taking the time to know and understand each student, both academically and personally. This allows for individualized learning programs while still building a strong sense of class/group dynamic. The Studio School embraces their small school structure to foster a truly mixed-age approach to the community—all the kids know each other and interact across classes, which builds confidence for both younger and older children. While our kids are currently in 4th and 6th grade, one of the greatest testaments to The Studio School is the eighth grade classes—I have never met more mature, self-assured, polite, and engaging 8th graders anywhere else! Lastly, and importantly for our family, The Studio School has a truly diverse student (and faculty) population, capturing the melting pot of New York in a natural way like no other school we've seen. Highly recommended!

Our son recently began at Studio this fall for kindergarten. He has flourished in just the three short months that we have been there. He had a smooth transition, and the teachers and staff were always warm and welcoming and let him adjust at his own pace. The school has a unique philosophy around empowering each child to take responsibility for their own education at a very early age. If our son does not want to go to school or if we are running late, the school requests that the child himself or herself call the school directly and talk about what is going on. When our son calls, the school actively tries to meet his needs and shows to him that with his own self-advocacy he can have his needs and interests met. This has really helped our son build his own sense of agency, and he is only 6! We also value the school's curriculum on block building, which builds so many skills that are foundational to academic success later on; the One-World curriculum introduces how the various components of the world fit together and relate to one another. We appreciate the Kitchen Science program and the philosophy around eating shared family-style meals and introducing children to many cultures and traditions. Our son has also begun to sing and dance at home, and we attribute this to the regular music class that he has at school. He has also begun to want to learn to read and write more, and we see this as a response to the way in which the school does not push or force but instead gently draws out a child's natural curiosity and ability.

Our son is a fifth grader (first year of middle school) at Studio. After three months of remote school last spring, we are thrilled to have him back to school on a hybrid plan (in person three days/remote two days per week). Studio`s teachers and administrators have worked tirelessly to design a program that allows the children to pivot seamlessly from home to school. As a result, our son continues to progress, and even thrive, academically. We are so pleased that the Studio community has come together to make health and safety a top priority so that our children and their teachers can be together as much as possible.

The Studio School has shown us that digital transformation is possible at school, leveraging technology to span continued learning to the home when necessary, while never losing `touch` with the individual, hands-on approach to learning that all students experience at Studio. We have been incredibly impressed with how the school now seamlessly integrates technology to further the educational goals for our son and the other students at the school, all the while keeping the focus on his learning and growth.

The Studio School has encouraged our children to become interested in science. They have in a span of a year learned how to explore the great outdoors, conduct experiments, use real data, all in an environment that has fostered opportunities for feedback. At Studio our children have been exposed to active learning strategies that have encouraged them to ask the 5W`s and has given them an understanding how science is a life skill which helps in making informed decisions.

As a parent of a middle school student who has had to suddenly shift to a distance learning arrangement during the COVID-19 pandemic, I am grateful that our school, The Studio School, has risen to the challenge and has exceeded our hopes and expectations for a school experience that would remain steady and valuable. Our school's clear focus on academics has not wavered during this challenging time with classes that are well structured and with all lessons and projects firmly in place. Our teachers are truly dedicated and at all times able to keep students engaged and eager to learn. Individual attention, caring and communication can be depended upon and the school's passion for community and wellbeing have never been stronger than at this time when it's needed most. The Studio School places a great emphasis on emotional wellbeing and self expression though a nurturing environment that promotes listening and verbalizing complex thinking and emotions. Considering this current situation translates to quite a lot of anxiety, it has been an amazing thing for my son and his classmates to have an open and deeply caring forum where teachers listen and lead discussions where students are encouraged to share and really support each other. This has been as important as the academics during this difficult time. We are grateful that our school is so in tune with the needs of students on many levels. Thanks to our school's great leadership and cohesive and consistent philosophy and professionalism, my son continues to learn and thrive during one of the most challenging times we have ever known.

Our daughter will graduate from Studio School this June and we couldn't be happier with her academic and emotional development. The classes are small so the teachers are able to tailor assignments to each child which means that your child will never feel behind or ahead. All students work on group and small team projects which helps foster the unique collaborative spirit at Studio and encourages creative thinkers. One aspect which is completely unique at the School is the insistence by the administration that the parents stay out of their child's homework which makes for a happier family and a more responsible, motivated learner. It's an amazing place. My daughter has so many friends and they're already planning reunions with students who graduated last year. We're in the high school application process now and the School has been so helpful. On visits we often here from high schools - "Oh we love Studio students" . This is a hidden gem in New York City's private school network.

My husband and I have 2 children ages 8 and 10 in their 6th year at Studio. We could not be happier with the education they are receiving there. My 10 year old daughter is filled with enthusiasm about Reading and Writing. The children are writing their own stories, and learning grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, spelling, and story telling in the process. She is excited about all of her assignments and classwork, and comes home from school ready to dive in to her homework. My son is excited about math. The teachers give the children a lot of individual attention which allows the kids to work at a pace that suits them. My son is working on decimals and fractions, and can't wait every night to show me where he is in his math workbook and what new skill he is working on. Studio's homework philosophy is also invaluable. Staff will tell you right away that homework is between the teacher and the student and you should not be involved in ensuring that your child does his/her homework or checking the homework. I was skeptical at first, but my kids do their homework without any reminders or pressure from me at all. They tell me that they have to get home early enough to have time for homework, or they ask me to wake them early so they can finish an assignment. They are learning academically, they are becoming responsible for themselves and their work, and they love going to school. We can't recommend Studio School highly enough.

Our son has attended Studio for 7 plus years. A lot of schools talk about individualized learning, but at Studio it is far more than just talk--it is what they do. The Studio approach acknowledges that children have different learning styles and everything they do is with the goal of addressing each students academic and emotional well being. The school emphasizes strong academics in Reading and Writing, Science, Math, and One World. Studio offers unique programs such as Kitchen Science, Work Period, and Parent Development (workshops designed to support families of Studio students).The teachers at Studio are caring and dedicated and are always accessible to students and their families.

Our daughter is a student in the early childhood program, and we couldn't be happier. I could go on and on discussing what a special place this is. First of all, children are "allowed" to be children. From basic tasks such as tiding up after playing, to getting ready for school without having to remind the child what needs to be done, teachers and administrators work closely with the children to meet them where they are and develop a sense of responsibility and independence, and helping the child understand their own emotional responses to routine situations. On a different note, something that I really like about the school is its approach to the use of computers. I am a software engineer in Manhattan, and I dread when I see schools falling into the fad of having an iPad or computer indiscriminately used in the classroom. At Studio, they have a wonderful computer lab fully equipped with Mac computers. However, students do not rely on laptops to get their work done on a regular basis. Instead, it is mostly in the upper grades, and in a way that makes sense: for specific projects, such as research papers and layout designs (students learn to use programs like Adobe Indesign and Photoshop, for instance). I have seen how the older kids are not obsessed with screens, and I know this is thanks to Studio's approach to a great extent: screens are one tool among many, and the student's critical mind learns to know how much is good for them at home.

My daughter entered The Studio School in 4th grade after unsuccessful, unhappy years in a good public school. She was anxious, dreaded school, and felt like a failure to her teachers. At Studio, we were drawn to the excellent academic curriculum and the commitment on teaching kids how to learn. We loved the fact that parents are not to be involved in children's homework (no reminding, no policing), that the relationship between the teacher and the student is central, and that the school seemed to be truly committed to building children's critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. Now, in her second year, our daughter is thriving. She races through her homework with something resembling joy, proud in her competence in doing advanced math and taking fun classes like "Strategic Thinking". Her social and emotional development is gently guided by the faculty and staff. Each child is attended to with a degree of patience that is nothing short of astounding. In our daughter's case, it's resulted in a confident child that has grown in self-reflection and patience.

This is our first year at Studio and I couldn't be more impressed by the quality of the education and the time the educators take for each child.

I am the father of a son in the 5th grade at the Studio School and of a daughter who is a recent alumna of the school. I have been part of the Studio community for 12 years, and that association has had an extraordinarily positive impact on my life, as a parent, as a thinker, as a husband. I feel like I''ve grown up as much as my son and daughter have. One of the great things about Studio is how the school handles homework. The parents are asked to leave the matter of homework to the child and his or her teachers. I don't know anything about my son's homework unless he tells me about it. And when he does tell me about it, and the news is less than good, I have been asked -- by both my son and his teachers -- not to intervene. This is easier said than done. I love my son, and it's hard for me to see him struggle, excruciatingly so in some instances. Sometimes the best thing is for me to leave the room. But I have happily found from experience that this process, as it is guided by the great teachers at Studio, bears good fruit. Over time, my son and my daughter have come to see their schoolwork as their own, and they see their education as something in which they are fully participant, something for which they are eagerly responsible, by which I mean they respond readily, and with full agency. My daughter, now a 9th grader in a top tier private school, has made a deft, assured and enthusiastic transition to a challenging and very sophisticated curriculum. In fact, all of her teachers are thrilled by her self-regulation, time management, and the consistently high standards of her thorough and thoughtful work. Thank you, Studio School.

We have 2 chn at Studio, one in elementary and one in preschool. We love the teachers and staff, as do our children. They encourage the children's interests while helping them master personal and interpersonal skills (frustration managment, working with others). When your 5 and 6 year old children start asking you in July when they can go back to school, you know you have a winner. We wouldn't send them anywhere else.

The Studio School is a special and unique place. My children are getting a top notch, rigorous education, but in a supportive environment. The school has an extremely rigorous academic program and expects a lot out of its students. Every student is expect to meet their potential. To ensure that happens, the school offers tremendous resources and incredible personal attention. There's no such thing as "falling thru the cracks" here! And the kids love the school! My daughter is ANGRY if she can't go to school due to a holiday or what not. I could go on and on about how much our family loves this school. It's great!

The Studio School is a rare find in a city that is inundated with many options for independent school education because it has been able to focus it's approach on the essence of what kids need to succeed in life. Ms. Rotter, the Head of School, summed it up best by saying that kids who leave Studio in 8th grade leave knowing who they are, what they want and how to work. It sounds so simple and yet somehow manages to get lost in today's world where there are so many parenting and teaching philosophies. Our daughter is only 3 and has been there for 2 years but when I drop her off I see all the other kids who range from kindergarten up to 8th grade and they are wonderful, poised and articulate with a sense of self that I was still looking for up into my late twenties.

My two sons, 5 and 8, started at the Studio School this past September. It truly is an amazing place! My boys are happy and thriving in this kind, supportive, encouraging environment. They are challenged to try and do new things and are already showing increased confidence. Everything that happens at Studio happens because it was well thought out and considered. I really trust that from the moment they walk in each morning until i pick them up there is a community of people, not just their teachers, who are invested in them and care about their growth and development. The added bonus is that the parents benefit from this amazing school as well. Getting a better understanding of my boys and of my parenting is such a gift. If the past 2 months is any indication of what's to come, i am confident that my boys will continue to grow and flourish and develop the skills, confidence, motivation and desire they need to be thoughtful, considerate, creative, respectful young men. It really is an amazing place!

My husband and I were blown away by how sensitive, involved and invested the teachers and head of school were through our family's first year. Like most parents, we agonized over the vast array of school choices there are in NYC. As new parents to our first child, we focused on HIS experience but did not realize how much of an extended family our new chosen school would become for all of us. Our outgoing, friendly little boy went through a difficult year changing and growing through his threes as he was starting his very first year at Studio School. The teachers and staff were not just completely devoted to his education, they were also committed to his wellbeing, a huge relief and comfort to us. Our family was warmly welcomed into this all inclusive school, where the entire family feels a sense of belonging, sharing and learning. We look forward to many more years with Studio School!

One of the unique classes they offer at Studio is Kitchen Science. Kitchen Science is a mixed-age group class, with children from grades 1-4 joining together, one child per grade, on a rotating basis. Sometimes they're joined by older children from grades 5-8. The children go to the kitchen and learn a lesson about food or food preparation - perhaps something about a cuisine from the country of one of their fellow students, or how to chop a particular vegetable, or something seasonal, like tasting apples in the fall. Then they assist with cooking a part of the lunch for the rest of the school. They eat lunch as a class, and help serve the other students when they come down to lunch. This unique class teaches so many things: math (how to measure, how to double or quadruple a recipe); science (what happens when I mix this with that?); history (when did this kind of food get introduced in this country and how?) and geography (where did this cuisine originate?). It also teaches about community and caring for others. Kitchen Science has always been one of my children's favorite classes at Studio.

Our son started his first year of middle school at The Studio School last year, and we could not have been happier. If you believe in the progressive process, then you understand how important it is teach our children to be creative and critical thinkers. Often at that age it is their awareness of society and trying to discover their place in it that can mar that process. The Studio School are experts at helping children navigate these difficult stages with their emphasis on social and emotional development. It is exactly what our son needs at this crucial time.