At a Glance
A French-Ministry-accredited bilingual elementary where 7-to-1 classes mean every child reads and writes in two languages by fifth grade.
Best suited for
Francophile or multilingual families — particularly French expatriates, diplomatic households, or New Yorkers committed to raising genuinely bilingual children — who want a small, academically ambitious elementary where every teacher knows their child.
What stands out
- French Ministry of Education homologation through Mission laïque française — a credential nearly impossible to find at other New York City private schools.
- A 7.2-to-1 student-teacher ratio with only 215 students total, keeping classes small enough for genuine individualized attention.
- Mandarin instruction begins in CE2 (the French third-grade equivalent), adding a third language on top of the French-English bilingual foundation.
- A formal partnership with Léman Manhattan Preparatory School gives graduates a clear pathway to the IB diploma in one of the few French-American secondary continuations in the city.
- Both after-school and summer programs extend the day and the year, a practical plus for working and traveling families.
Things to consider
- Tuition runs $46,500 to $50,500 for 2026-27, placing the school at the upper end of New York City private elementary pricing.
- The bilingual program is genuinely rigorous — families should expect daily French instruction from the start, real homework, and a pace that tracks the French national curriculum.
- The school tops out at fifth grade, so families need a middle-school plan; the Léman partnership is a strong option but is a separate application.
- At roughly 80% White, the student body is less racially diverse than the city as a whole, which may or may not match what your family is looking for.
- A total enrollment of 215 means fewer clubs, sports teams, and electives than larger schools — though that small scale is also exactly what parents tend to love about it.
Identity
Ecole Internationale de New York is a nonsectarian, coed elementary serving pre-K through fifth grade with a French-American bilingual mission. The school's philosophy centers on producing well-rounded, bi-literate students with a multicultural, optimistic worldview — combining rigorous French language instruction with a whole-child American educational frame. It is accredited by the French Ministry of Education through the Mission laïque française, placing it inside the official global network of French schools abroad.
Community
With 215 students spread across seven grade levels, the community is intimate enough that the school routinely speaks of itself in family terms. Demographically, the student body is roughly 80% White, with smaller Asian and Black populations and a very small Hispanic share; the overall diversity index sits at 0.51, on the more homogeneous side for a New York City private school. Families are typically drawn to the bilingual mission — multilingual households, French expatriate families, and New Yorkers who want their children functionally fluent in a second language by the end of elementary school.
Neighborhood
Gramercy is one of Manhattan's quietly affluent enclaves — census figures show a median household income of about $153,800 and an 83% bachelor's-degree-or-higher rate among adults, with a poverty rate around 11%. The blocks around the school are primarily residential, with tree-lined streets and a mix of pre-war buildings and townhouses. The neighborhood skews toward professional families and has long drawn a mix of longtime New Yorkers and transplants with international backgrounds.
The 23 St–Baruch College stop on the 6 line is about a minute away, the 23 St station on the R and W is roughly five minutes on foot, and the 28 St stop on the 6 is about six minutes away.
Notable Programs
What Parents Are Saying
Highly positive reviews praise small class sizes, amazing teachers, strong academic program, supportive community, and effective bilingual education. Parents describe it as a 'phenomenal school' with 'depth and breadth of learning' and teachers who are 'extremely involved and amazing'
Synthesized from public parent reviews · Apr 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is ECOLE INTERNATIONALE DE NEW YORK a good school?
- Published quality ratings aren't available for ECOLE INTERNATIONALE DE NEW YORK yet on Motley. It's a private school serving grades Pre-K to 5 in Gramercy.
- What grades does ECOLE INTERNATIONALE DE NEW YORK serve?
- ECOLE INTERNATIONALE DE NEW YORK serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into ECOLE INTERNATIONALE DE NEW YORK?
- ECOLE INTERNATIONALE DE NEW YORK runs its own private admissions process — typically an application, a visit, and sometimes testing.
- Is ECOLE INTERNATIONALE DE NEW YORK public, charter, or private?
- ECOLE INTERNATIONALE DE NEW YORK is a private school.
- What neighborhood is ECOLE INTERNATIONALE DE NEW YORK in?
- ECOLE INTERNATIONALE DE NEW YORK is in Gramercy, Manhattan.