The Studio School

I am a parent of a current middle schooler and a studio graduate (currently in high school). Studio teachers guide the children to be the best versions of themselves and to take responsibility for their work. Strong academics and interesting and engaging curriculum. The teachers go above and beyond to get to know their students.

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.

My six-year-old son cannot contain his enthusiasm for math. His teachers have introduced him to patterning, grouping, real world applications, and most importantly, thinking about math as a language. Last year, in the Fours and Fives class, he was delighted to water the plants on the windowsill of his class each week, measure, and graph their growth. This year, he has been most excited about discovering multiplication and solving word problems that his teacher has thoughtfully given to him.

I have 2 children at Studio, both in the elementary school, and I couldn't be happier. This morning on our way to school I asked the kids if they were looking forward to anything particular today. My six year old son replied, "I hope I get to work on my math book more today!" What more could I ask? My six year old can't wait to get to school and work on math! The teachers at Studio help the children want to learn. The children get reading material and assignments specific to their abilities, needs, and learning styles, so my daughter is working in a different math workbook than my son even though they are in the same class because they learn differently. They are both reading chapter books and bring home books recommended to them by the librarian or their teachers based upon their interests. They don't need a reading list because they can't wait to read the books they've been given. I am delighted with the academic success my children are enjoying at Studio School, but even more than that, I am overjoyed by their enthusiasm to learn more and do more. If you are on the internet researching schools for your children, your children will undoubtedly learn to read. To me the big question is whether they will want to read. In my experience at Studio the answer is an emphatic yes.

Our children have attended Studio School for many years, and are now in elementary and middle school. We have been consistently impressed with how the design of the curriculum and the skill of the teachers allows for an individualized and rigorous learning experience for each of our children. One of our children has a particular aptitude for math, so that by the beginning of third grade he already had proficiency in multiplication and division. Recognizing that he needed something different, the school brought in a math specialist to work with him separately on abstract math concepts and algebra. He also did math with his class group, but was always given an additional math challenge to work on that related to what the class was doing, but would require him to use more complex math concepts to solve it. In this way, my son continued to be challenged and was able to work at his own pace. The approach the school took with my son beautifully demonstrates how the school focuses on the uniqueness of the individual, while balancing that with importance of being part of the group. This attention to each student is one of the qualities that makes Studio School such a rich academic environment.

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.

Our daughter will graduate from 8th grade at The Studio School in June. We placed her in the school starting in 6th grade, and it was one of the best decisions we ever made for our family. On arriving at The Studio School (from a different elementary school), our child was anxious, frustrated, disengaged & lacked confidence. From the very start we worked closely with Janet Rotter, Head-of-School, as well as an invested & passionate group of educators who understood how "Jane" was experiencing & processing school. During her three years at Studio our daughter blossomed into a genuinely curious learner, and a lively & engaged young person.

The Studio School environment validates how exceptional every child is, and they partnered with the three of us (our daughter is an "only") to provide a uniquely challenging & nurturing education. Our "Jane" went from a child who hated & refused to go to school to a kid who advocates for herself, regulates herself and meets her education head-on, with open & eager arms. It's been a wonderful & enlightening process for all of us.

My husband and I occasionally get caught up in "if only we'd sent her there from the start." But if our previous school experience did one thing, it led us to The Studio School. Every child should have this kind of whole, meaningful, educational experience. Our world would be a much better place.

Sent from my iPad

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!

The Studio School fosters is a wonderful environment for children to learn about themselves, others and the world. Teachers adapt the learning experience for each child’s unique abilities helping them develop socially, emotionally and academically. Our daughter has blossomed at Studio in the last three years.

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.

Not only are the teachers and staff completely devoted to my child's education, they are also equally committed to communicating and interacting with us parents. Our family was warmly welcomed into this all inclusive school, where the entire family feels a sense of belonging, sharing and learning.

Our children are thriving academically, socially, and emotionally since attending Studio. It is truly a gem! While the academics are rigorous and challenging, and the school expects every child to meet their potential, the school offers tremendous resources and individual attention to ensure that happens. My children absolutely love going to school, and don't think of "learning" as something that only takes place at school, but is something you do all your life. We truly couldn't be happier here!

We live in a neighborhood with many progressive schools, or schools which say they are child-centered, and also schools which say they will teach your child to excel. There is a lot of anxiety out there. At Studio School, we found our anxiety level lowering way down... the skills our son needs to navigate the world are braided together. They play with blocks; and then it turns out that it's not just playing with blocks, but it's also learning to collaborate with other children (I've never heard the enforced term sharing--it just evolves, in the flow of life, as it should). And then it's learning about shapes, about what fits with what. And then counting. And then what happens if we shine a flashlight under this tunnel of blocks. And if these blocks are a store, what are the signs we are going to make out in front. And what about tomorrow--will we keep building? And this is what they do with blocks! A block of wood! In there are not just literacy skills, counting, spatial relations, fine motor, social, ability to focus and work on one's own, and even the ability to tolerate waiting and make a plan for tomorrow--there is also a beauty to it. There is a teacher or two who has thought through how the work of the intellect and the work of emotional development are connected, and has structured an activity that fosters both and all the parts of how the child is developing. And no one said "do this" or "good job" or gave a gold star reward to motivate anyone (except I am giving Studio School 5 stars). Who wouldn't want self-motivated, focussed, emotionally and intellectually evolved and connected children? Especially in this world!