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AARON SCHOOL (8-12)

42 EAST 30 STREET

At a Glance

A specialized Manhattan middle school where a 2.7-to-1 ratio means every student gets the scaffolding they need to find independence.

Best suited for

A middle schooler with a diagnosed learning disability, ADHD, or executive functioning challenge whose family can invest in intensive individualized support and wants a school that treats those needs as central to its mission rather than as an accommodation.

What stands out

  • An extraordinarily low 2.7-to-1 student-teacher ratio — among the most individualized settings a New York family can find for a middle schooler.
  • A built-in therapeutic layer: speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, and a social skills program are part of the school day, not add-ons.
  • A specific, deliberate focus on executive functioning and self-advocacy, framed as preparation for independence rather than accommodation.
  • A diverse student body with a 0.81 diversity index — meaningfully reflective of New York's mix.
  • Small total enrollment of 161 students creates a tight community where students are known as individuals, not numbers.

Things to consider

  • Tuition sits at $89,975 for 2025-26 — a significant financial commitment, even relative to other Manhattan private schools.
  • This is a fit-driven school: students need a documented learning profile that the program is designed to serve, and it is not a general-ed alternative.
  • The middle school division serves grades 6 through 8; families will need to plan a high school transition, whether back to mainstream or to another specialized setting.
  • The location is convenient by subway, but the school is an urban building rather than a campus — don't expect grounds, fields, or open space.

Identity

Other

Aaron School is a nonsectarian, coeducational middle school serving grades 6 through 8, specializing in students with language-based learning disabilities, ADHD, sensory challenges, and related profiles. The academic program aligns with New York State Learning Standards but wraps them in highly individualized instruction, embedded speech-language and occupational therapy, and a deliberate focus on executive functioning, self-advocacy, and resiliency. The stated aim is independence — preparing students to step back into mainstream settings or to thrive in a supported college trajectory.

Community

Very Diverse

With a diversity index of 0.81, the student body is meaningfully mixed across race and background — roughly 45% white, 26% Hispanic, 19% Black, and 6% Asian, with multiracial students rounding out the rest. The mix reflects the range of New York families who seek out specialized private education. The relatively small total enrollment of 161 students means almost everyone knows almost everyone.

Neighborhood

Midtown South-Flatiron-Union Square

The school sits in the Midtown South–Flatiron–Union Square corridor, one of Manhattan's more affluent and highly educated pockets — median household income around $171,000, with over 81% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. The area around 30th Street mixes commercial office towers with the residential character of NoMad and the historic streets of the Flatiron district, dense with services, restaurants, and the kind of urban energy older middle schoolers tend to thrive in.

Three subway stops sit within a short walk — the 28 St and 33 St stations on the 6 line, both about three minutes on foot, and the 28 St station on the R and W lines about six minutes away.

Notable Programs

Advance executive functioning programApplied courses paralleling core academicsSocial skills programSpeech-Language TherapyOccupational Therapy

What Parents Are Saying

Positive reviews rated 4.33 and 3.7 out of 5; parents praise caring teachers, effective ADHD support, self-advocacy training, and a structured nurturing environment; described as "a place of both kindness and vision" with the highest recommendation from parent reviews

Synthesized from public parent reviews · Apr 2026

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is AARON SCHOOL (8-12) a good school?
Published quality ratings aren't available for AARON SCHOOL (8-12) yet on Motley. It's a private school serving grades 6 to 8 in Midtown South-Flatiron-Union Square.
What grades does AARON SCHOOL (8-12) serve?
AARON SCHOOL (8-12) serves grades 6 to 8.
How do students get into AARON SCHOOL (8-12)?
AARON SCHOOL (8-12) runs its own private admissions process — typically an application, a visit, and sometimes testing.
Is AARON SCHOOL (8-12) public, charter, or private?
AARON SCHOOL (8-12) is a private school.
What neighborhood is AARON SCHOOL (8-12) in?
AARON SCHOOL (8-12) is in Midtown South-Flatiron-Union Square, Manhattan.