Mission Statement

The IDEAL School of Manhattan is an inclusion school dedicated to creating a diverse community that affirms and accepts the full identities of all people, while inspiring academic excellence, creative leadership, and a desire to build a more just and equitable world.

Why IDEAL?

The IDEAL Difference

The IDEAL School of Manhattan is dedicated to building a diverse community based on the principles of diversity, acceptance, and excellence. We are looking for students and families who share our commitment to these core values and who believe in inclusion and social justice as the IDEAL ways to develop critical thinkers, creative and curious learners, global citizens, and proud individuals.

Learning Better Together

We believe that we all learn better when we learn together.
Inclusion is the full acceptance of all students in order to create a sense of belonging in and out of the classroom and to prepare them for productive lives as full members of a diverse and global society. Our students have a broad range of learning styles, readiness levels, and abilities. We are proud of the diversity of abilities in our community and the commitment to perspective-taking, appreciation for difference, and commitment to excellence that it inspires in each of our students.

Academic Success

We believe that differentiation is paramount to academic success.Differentiation is a research-based teaching practice that recognizes and celebrates the strengths of a diverse group of learners. Differentiation is the heart of inclusion where teachers tailor instruction to meet the needs of all students, by differentiating content, process, product, or learning environment. A differentiated classroom honors the diversity that is the heart of IDEAL’s program.

Creating a Community

We are passionate about creating a community that reflects the diversity of our city, and hence we celebrate diversity in children and their families.
Our school reflects the rich diversity that is New York City. We teach and reach children of all backgrounds and socioeconomic levels and different races, genders, cultures, and religions. IDEAL’s diversity is both broad and deep, and we extend the definition of diversity in education to include children with a wide range of learning styles, readiness levels, and abilities.

Social Justice

Our focus on social justice gives students the critical thinking skills they need to solve problems and to lead on a local and global scale.
Our intentionally integrated Diversity Curriculum, Community Time, and service learning program provide students with opportunities to lead their peers in conversation and to learn about the perspectives of others. In our community, IDEAL students see their potential to effect change and are equipped with the tools to be self-advocates and up-standers.

Our Talented Faculty

Our talented teachers know their students in and out of the classroom and are vested in their social, emotional, and academic development.
In the IDEAL community, our students have voice and their opinions are heard. Small class sizes, co- and team-teaching models, and low student-teacher ratios ensure that our teachers know our students in and out of the classroom. In addition to teaching, IDEAL faculty members serve as advisors, coaches, and club mentors, modeling for students lifelong learning and a commitment to community building.