At a Glance
A screened SoHo high school where near-perfect trust scores, zero suspensions, and a 2.8% offer rate define the experience.
Best suited for
Self-motivated students who thrive in a humanities-focused, screened progressive environment, and whose families prioritize a calm, trust-rich school culture over neighborhood proximity or family-heavy block life.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of 4-year graduation, English Regents college-ready and Regents completion · DOE 2025 report
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- A 2.8% offer rate makes it one of the most selective screened public high schools in Manhattan — 3,326 applicants chasing 93 seats.
- Zero suspensions paired with 95%+ trust scores across parent and teacher surveys signals a genuinely respectful school culture.
- Perfect 100/100 program richness — AP courses, ELL support, humanities, world languages, and 14+ extracurriculars from Model UN to a Gender & Sexuality Alliance.
- A diverse student body (74% diversity index) in a neighborhood where most blocks are childless professionals.
- 24% IEP enrollment alongside strong academic outcomes suggests meaningful inclusion rather than just compliance.
Things to consider
- Admissions are brutally competitive — most well-qualified applicants will not get in, so this should be one of several options, not a single bet.
- School-level ELA and math proficiency data isn't included here, so academic results should be verified directly with the school.
- PTA fundraising is just $80 per student versus a $516 district average — worth asking what that signals about family resources or engagement.
- The surrounding neighborhood has few other children and limited family-oriented amenities like playgrounds or kid-heavy parks.
- Average class size of 25.8 is in line with the district average, so don't expect unusually small classes despite the screening.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 2
Among the listed District 2 peers, NYC iSchool is grouped with highly regarded screened and charter programs like P.S. 77 and Success Academy — Hell's Kitchen, though as a high school it stands largely in a category of its own.
Academics
School-level ELA, math, and science proficiency figures aren't included in this dataset, so a direct comparison to the district averages (73% ELA, 73% math) isn't possible here. What we can say: the school offers AP courses, ELL support, and a humanities-focused program, and earned a perfect 100/100 program richness score across 14+ extracurriculars. Combined with the brutal 2.8% admissions rate, the school clearly has its pick of academically prepared students.
Culture
The survey numbers here are unusually consistent and unusually high: 98% parent-principal trust, 95% parent-teacher trust, 93% parent satisfaction, 94% teacher-reported instruction quality, 95% teacher-principal trust, and 92% collegial trust among teachers. Zero suspensions is rare for any high school, let alone one of this size, and it tracks with the trust story — this is a school where adults and students appear to be aligned rather than at odds. The day-to-day feel, based on the data, is collaborative and low-conflict rather than punitive.
Community
The school's demographics don't mirror its immediate surroundings. SoHo-Little Italy-Hudson Square is wealthy, well-educated, and only 12.4% of households include children — a downtown profile heavy on young professionals and pieds-à-terre. The school itself draws a meaningfully different mix: 38% White, 32% Hispanic, 13% Black, 8% Asian, plus a 74% diversity index. Roughly a quarter of students (24%) have IEPs, which alongside the strong survey scores suggests real inclusion rather than paper compliance.
Neighborhood
SoHo-Little Italy-Hudson Square is one of downtown Manhattan's wealthiest, most educated neighborhoods, with a median household income of $139,070, a 78% bachelor's-degree rate, and a $1.5 million median home value. Only about one in eight households (12.4%) includes children, and just 20.8% of homes are owner-occupied — a classic downtown profile of renters, professionals, and second-homeowners. The vibe is cosmopolitan and adult-oriented more than family-oriented.
Three subway stops put it within easy reach: Spring St (C, E) about a 3-minute walk, Canal St (1) about a 3-minute walk, and Houston St (1) about a 6-minute walk.
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 270 families responded (61% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
Priority given to students who are eligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch (based on family income) for up to 60% of seats.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
PTA Fundraising
Source: DOE Local Law 171 disclosure
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
High school (9th grade)
High school is one citywide application, made in 8th grade. NYC iSchool admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- NYC iSchoolScreened
High school application
- Opened
- Tue, Oct 6
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 4
- Offers
- Wed, Mar 3
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the high school application, in 8th grade.
- 2Screened programs rank the 7th-grade core-course average, so last year's final grades are the ones that count.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is NYC iSchool a good school?
- On Motley, NYC iSchool earns an overall rating of 82/100 — the average of the school's four-year graduation rate, the share of its students scoring college-ready (70+) on the English Regents, and its Regents completion rate, shown out of 100.
- What grades does NYC iSchool serve?
- NYC iSchool serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into NYC iSchool?
- NYC iSchool is a screened school — it admits by application, ranking applicants on their course grades (4th grade for middle school, the 7th-grade core-course average for high school); a few schools add an assessment, writing sample, or interview.
- Is NYC iSchool public, charter, or private?
- NYC iSchool is a public school in NYC Community School District 2.
- What neighborhood is NYC iSchool in?
- NYC iSchool is in SoHo-Little Italy-Hudson Square, Manhattan.