SMITH SCHOOL

Families with a middle-schooler who has struggled — academically, socially, or both — in a larger mainstream school and would thrive in a tiny, supportive environment where adults know them deeply.

• A 3:1 student-teacher ratio means a single teacher may work with as few as three students at a time — extraordinarily rare at any grade level.
• Multi-sensory teaching methods are built into the model, making the school a fit for students who learn differently from a traditional lecture-and-textbook approach.
• Explicit curriculum in social-emotional and executive functioning skill development treats those as academic subjects, not afterthoughts.
• Rolling admissions provide flexibility for families whose children's needs emerge or change mid-year.
• The school is middle-school-only, so all staffing and resources are calibrated specifically to the 11–14 age range.

• Tuition of $44,000–$50,000 places this among the more expensive middle school options in the city.
• Parent reviews are mixed: while many families praise the accommodating environment, some have raised concerns about specific teachers and safety — worth probing in conversations with the administration.
• The student body is demographically narrow, so families seeking a broadly diverse peer environment may want to look elsewhere.
• At 33 students total, your child will share three years with the same small cohort — a strength for some kids and a limitation for others who crave a bigger social world.
• The "alternative" label means this is not a competitive academic track; families expecting traditional honors-level rigor may need to supplement externally.