Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan

After graduating from Schechter Manhattan, my daughter has gone on in to great success in high school--as have many of her peers, who have gone on to some of the best high schools in the city (LaGuardia, Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, HSMSE, etc.). The school gave her an amazing foundation in critical thinking, and made her the type of learner who seeks knowledge for its own sake, rather than for a test. We have been consistently impressed and comforted by the warmth of the teachers and staff, who know our children as individuals. Plus, and most importantly, our daughter (we have one still in the lower school), loves going to school each day.

We came to this school in 3rd grade from public school, looking for a Jewish education, a closer community feel, and a place that felt like home. We found all of this and more. In busy NYC, Schechter Manhattan feels like a sweet, warm, nurturing school where my kids are getting an amazing education, a joyful Jewish experience, and growing as well-rounded human beings. There's a huge focus on qualities, values, and an education that is so much more than academic. We've been blown away by our experience thus far, and now have 3 kids at this unique school!

We have had an incredible year at Schechter Manhattan. My daughter just completed her first year of Kindergarten and it was everything I could have hoped for -- and more, for both her and our family. She grew so much, was supported and finished the year both confidence and competent. We can't wait for 1st grade.

We transitioned for Middle School and extremly happy. Our son is happy to go to school every day. The school was very welcoming, and we are very happy with the academic level and with the community emphasis and togetherness at the school.

Schechter Manhattan is an excellent school. We have had a great experience and highly recommend it to parents who are looking for a well rounded education focused on high academic achievement *and* well rounded values. The children are very happy and the school. and there is a strong community that builds a strong identity.

The homework load is not very large, however it is very high quality so children are able to focus better on school subjects but also get spare time for extra curricular activities, creating a nice balance with extra curricular activities.


Teachers at this school are amazing. Schechter has the best, most proactive teachers that I have experienced in NYC, in both private and public schools (e.g. pre-school and K-2nd grade).

The school also develops strong character in its students, like integrity, compassion and respect.
The school has strong emphasis on values and on the importance of day to day interactions.
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Leadership at this school is very inspiring as you can see their work in action on a day to day basis which has a positive impact throughout all staff.

This school effectively supports students with learning differences.
Small classes and a very supportive, and there is a specialized team for learning differences.

We have had an amazingly positive experience with the Solomon Schechter Manhattan school. The school encourages and fosters community, exudes tremendous warmth while being laser-focused on education and respect for others. The growth we have seen in our daughter from the fall to June is extraordinary. Our daughter could not read one word in the fall when she entered Kindergarten and by June was reading to us. Her speech, writing, social and analytical skills improved dramatically over the year and she is only in Kindergarten. I credit the consultative approach to teaching which is different from an educator lecturing at students and instead encourages interaction and team-building methodology as a way to instruct and instill the knowledge necessary for the age-level. The teachers themselves are top-notch educators who first instill confidence and then use their amazing gift to ensure the students are learning but not only learning to memorize but applying learning to everyday activities. It's a remarkable method of instruction and one our daughter has garnered tremendous benefit.The combination of all of the aforementioned makes for the perfect environment for learning and achieving greatness. We consider ourselves fortunate to be a part of this very special community and understand our daughter is very fortunate to be benefiting from the world-class education she is receiving.

We have been very happy with the Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan, where our daughter just completed kindergarten. She entered the school already reading, and I was concerned that the teachers might not meet her where she was. In fact, the school prides itself on differentiated learning, and her continued progress in reading and writing was excellent. Our whole family loved both of her general teachers, who were willing to have late evening phone conversations with us whenever an issue arose.
We are not particularly observant, but we are happy that the school is providing our daughter with more of a Jewish education than we can give her, in a thoroughly egalitarian setting. There is a wide range of observance amongst the different families attending and no pressure to be one way or another at home. The school is attended by many wonderful families, and we have often enjoyed play dates or birthday parties as much as our daughter has.
Two examples of the school’s social and academic excellence:
1. Just before Passover, there is an event in which children in each class showed visitors – parents and students from other classes – the culmination of their work on solving a particular engineering problem. What stood out to me was the level of thought and engineering by the students, their ability to articulate their challenges and solutions, and the way the older children escorted younger children through the various classrooms.
2. Each Friday the students are asked to bring in any amount of Tsedakah. In the spring, several charities – all vetted and worthy – are suggested as targets. Then each class has a discussion and vote in school to determine where the children want to give the money. The discussion connects their studies to real-life problems and develops the children’s concepts of connectedness, values, and allocation of limited resources.
The school is also very generous in financial aid, and there are free buses for children who do not live close to the school. Most importantly, our daughter is excited to attend. As another parent said to me, there are many good schools, but Schechter has “soul.” It is true.

Amazing school. My son loves to learn thanks to SSSM. He orefers going to school over summer camp!

My daughter is just about to start her first grade after spending a wonderful year at K last year at SSSM. Her first year at school was beyond our expectations. From the caring teachers, the warm environment, the amazing principal, and the overall feeling that we're now part of a family.
I was concerned that private Jewish school in Manhattan will be full of spoiled kids, coming from rich families, but i was surprised how humble the kids and their families are. The school and even more the Parent Association, are trying to bring everyone closer, helping new families feel comfortable and make sure no one is left behind. Last important thing to note is about values. The teachers and the school overall are teaching the kids about values, caring, loving, be humble, appreciate, help others and appreciate what you have. If I knew half of what i know today about the school i wouldn't hesitate for a second.

My children absolutely love Solomon Schechter of Manhattan. As a parent, I was looking for an invigorating Jewish learning experience that does a great job across the academic fields as well as has a strong sense of community. My family and I found just that and more at SSSM. The staff is excellent, the overall approach to education fits our philosophy, there is a great atmosphere in the classrooms, and the value mission is one that everyone at Schechter Manhattan lives by. The Parent Association arranges many great activities which help enhance the community feel this school has. Overall, I cannot recommend Schechter Manhattan enough. Seeing the work product of this fantastic institution, the graduating classes over the years are simply something to admire- kids come out of Schechter Manhattan with a well-rounded view of the world and are active citizens in improving it. They are poised and intelligent and know their Jewish studies as well as their math and science. I recommend considering Schechter Manhattan as your children's Jewish Day School.

Picking a school is all about fit. My son left another jewish day school after a bad experience and transferred early on to Schechter Manhattan. We couldn't be happier with his experience there. He's in HS now and his teachers tell us how impressed they are by the depth of his knowledge and his contributions to the discussion. He's become an active leader in daily minyan, and he'll tell you it's because he learned the meaning of prayer at Schechter Manhattan. At Schechter Manhattan he was taught how to THINK about ideas, not just spit out facts and rote homework tasks. There were times though when he struggled in elementary school and the support from his teachers and the school administration were spot on. We were never left adrift. Thoughtful plans were developed with our input and every one followed through. Looking back, I am grateful for the support I received from the school psychologist and division heads, Gary and Ben (now the amazing Head of School) , who always treated us with respect and had faith in our son. This is a great school if you're looking for a thoughtful education.

Growing up as a native New Yorker I can say the SSSM is the BEST Hebrew day school on the UWS. My 3 kids love it and so do we!!! Everyone at the school cares and makes great efforts to be hands on.

Both of my kids attended Schechter Manhattan K-8, and Schechter supported us in raising our kids with the intellectual and religious values that matter to us. Our kids graduated from Schechter as strong and joyful learners, as committed Jews and committed feminists, and as happy teenagers comfortable in their own skins. It's a wonderful school.

I really wanted a school that would meet my child where he is and see him for who he is, and that's what we've gotten at Schechter Manhattan. It's great. He's really good at math, so the math coach and his teachers give him extension work to make sure he's challenged. He loves it!

Schechter Manhattan provides a wonderful academic and social environment for children from kindergarten through eighth grade. Your child will be supported, valued, cared-for, challenged and given the confidence to take risks and develop self-esteem. Every teacher is committed to bringing out the best in each child and to creating a safe environment in which to learn. Schechter Manhattan values the whole child - encouraging inquiry, analytical and critical thinking and collaborative study. Students learn how to present their work in multiple ways - presentations, power points, written essays, mathematical models and science projects. The STEAM program is integrated throughout every grade and every discipline. The coed sports teams are fun and a great bonding experience. Most important, Schechter Manhattan figures out who your child is, and how they best learn and grow as thinkers and leaders. Schechter Manhattan will give your child the tools for life's challenges.

I'm so grateful for Schechter Manhattan. After great first years in the school, my child had a hard time in second grade. He started acting out, and we weren't sure what was going on. The teachers were amazing at communicating with me, and I really appreciated that the teachers, principal and school psychologist all respected my approach to parenting, choosing strategies in school that were aligned with what was important to my wife and me. Despite my child's behavioral challenges, he continued to do well academically, thanks to the creativity of the teachers. Things were up and down for a while - and the school really stuck with us, continuing to problem solve and communicate with us as the situation shifted over time. This year has been much better, and the teachers and staff have gone above and beyond - meeting with us before school even started to strategize, taking into consideration what had happened the year before, and building on what worked and setting aside things that didn't work. The whole way through, I've been impressed by the care and attention that our child has gotten, and I'm so grateful that they worked so hard to help my child succeed.

To make a very long, stressful, and emotional story short; I am severely disappointed in my experience with the Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan. Schechter initially stood out to me because of their child-focused, caring community. Based on this premise, when they advised me within his first week of school that they noticed some difficulty in his transition to kindergarten, I fully expected this was an issue that would be quickly resolved. In reality, I found myself isolated, lost, and ultimately abandoned. The school's first response to my son's transition difficulty was for him to attend school for only two hours a day. During these abbreviated days, my son would spend 10 to 15 minutes in the actual classroom and the rest of the day in the office of their school psychologist playing on an iPad they provided him. Their logic was to set him up for successful days, and I was assured this was not a permanent solution. This schedule lasted for months. Eventually I was told the only way he could attend a full day was if I hired a private aide to attend class with him. Even though I could not fathom the additional cost of a full time aide on top of his tuition, I was willing to do anything to help my son. When I asked the school for recommendations and guidance of resources to find such support they offered nothing. I was told it would be best to get him evaluated privately or through the DOE as they do not provide evaluations or support services. After months of meetings with the principal, who assured me they had exhausted every effort to help my son, the school advised me this was not the right placement for our family. In essence, we were kicked out. Although this was upsetting, this is not reason for my negative review. I write this review because after only one week of attendance in a local charter school, my son's new teachers assured me that with firm guidance and adherence to routine at school and at home, my son was going to be more than fine. Three months later, my son is excelling and we could not be happier. When we left Schechter we had no expectation that my son's behavior would change at all, in fact I fully expected to return to the DOE for support services once I had more evidence of need in his new classroom. It saddens and scares me to think what would have happened had we stayed at Schechter.

What does Schechter Manhattan teach? It teaches a love of learning, a love of Judaism, a love a tradition, and a love community. Throughout it all, there is a value that underlies all of the content, and that is, what does it mean to be a mensch? On one hand, you can’t necessarily “teach” menschlichkeit, but what I have learned, is that you can live it and reinforce it. The following is one of my first memories of being a Schechter parent, and still, one of the proudest.
It is hard to believe that first grade was four ago already, but there was a moment during that year that I will always proudly recall. Our son had come home from school and we were having a regular dinner conversation. Nothing out of the ordinary. He was talking about his day when he mentioned that a classmate was sick but that he knew he was coming back the next day.

“How do you know that?” we asked.

“Oh, the caring committee told the class.”

The what? The caring committee? Our son explained that whenever a child was out sick, it was someone’s responsibility in the class to go to the school office and call that child to see how they were feeling. You see, just as the students have responsibilities to be a chazzan for tefillah, or to be the teachers’ helper, or to help clean the physical space in the classroom, so too, there was a community builder as well.

To me, this story gets to the essence of Schechter Manhattan–there is a shared sense of responsibility to care for one another in the context of the school community and beyond. As I now sit on the board of Schechter Manhattan and think about how its values are lived in the classroom experience, I can proudly see how the value of menschlichkeit is lived, each and every day.

Let's start with the simple fact that our children love school. They have caring friends, are warmly nurtured by their teachers, and are challenged to learn how to learn. Teachers create the kind of lessons in which children have to think critically, collaborate with one another, and communicate their growing understanding in multiple ways. Parent partnership is not just a buzzword at the school. Teachers reach out to us regularly throughout the year to talk with us about our children's growth. The school feels like a family to us.

Solomon Schechter is a school where students are at the core of everything that takes place. Learning is student centered. Students have a role in deciding what they want to study and how they want to learn. Students work on being good people in addition to being good students. Students come to school happy and are eager to return to school after the weekend.

My child is in the kindergarten and we have had a great year. Hק goes to school with a smile on his face and comes home sharing stories about math and science, new Hebrew words and she is excited about reading and writing.

Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan is an amazing school. My son has great teachers, friends, and overall an excellent education. We are really pleased with his overall experience and know we made the right choice for sending him for his k-8 school years. The school is everything we hoped for and more!

Schechter Manhattan is a school where each child is valued for who s/he is. The teachers create individual learning programs for each child, which means that my kids are progressing according to their strengths and challenges in each subject area. They also focus on the whole child, providing support and structures so that my children are growing to be real mensches and feel deeply understood by their teachers. My personal experience is enhanced by the warm parent body and the events and activities that the Parents Association organizes. We love Schechter Manhattan.

We have two children at Schechter Manhattan and have been incredibly impressed with the child-centered dedication and thoughtfulness of the school's administration and teachers. Each of two children have been challenged academically at his/her level, while at the same being nurtured and supported. At the school, my children have developed a love for learning and (open-minded) Judaism while at the same time learning critical thinking skills that I only wish I had at that age. I strongly recommend Schechter Manhattan to any parent who wants his or her child to develop into a curious, life-long learner and critical thinker. In my opinion, there is NO better Jewish day school in Manhattan.

My child is in the kindergarten and we have had a great year. She goes to school with a smile on her face and comes home sharing stories about math and science, new Hebrew words and she is excited about reading and writing. She joyously leads us in the blessings around our Shabbat table. The administration has been responsive and open to my suggestions. I have found Schechter Manhattan to be a welcoming, warm and caring place. We look forward to sending our younger child there in a couple years too.

My child spent two years at Solomon Schechter of Manhattan. it was a terrible experience for him,for me and for our entire family. The academics were of low quality. The teaching of religious practice was stifling and lacking in creativity. The teachers were inexperienced. The administrators were hostile and defensive when concerns were raised. Sending my child to Schechter is one of the biggest regrets of my life. Truly. The difference in his happiness and the quality of family life since he left is extraordinary.

Administrators, teachers and staff at Schechter Manhattan work collaboratively as a team of dynamic, wise, and thoughtful educators to provide students in grades K-8 with challenging academic learning in an exceptionally supportive environment. And central to their progressive pedagogy and decision making is nurturing students to be knowledgeable about Jewish ethical values, identity, history, Hebrew, rituals, and Conservative religious practices. This is a highly reflective school community that lives the values it questions and promotes. My two children thrive at the school and I'm grateful daily that this little gem of a school is celebrating 18 years ("chai") since its founding... and many more years to come!

Schechter Manhattan combines a rigorous curriculum - dual language; teaching students how to learn (instead of just learning how to maximize test scores); an early emphasis on formulating, publicly sharing and defending your conclusions; and more - with a nurturing environment where students learn to be mensches (authentic, values-grounded, caring humans), and develop their whole selves (mind and soul). My two children have very different learning styles, but the school takes the time to understand their disparate needs and tailor their classroom experiences to teach each of them in a way that they will best relate to.

With two children at Schechter Manhattan I have had the pleasure of being in this exceptional community for more than six years. My children are engaged in their learning because the teachers and administrators are engaged in my children's learning. The children are kind-hearted and give of themselves to other community groups and within the school community because the teachers, administrators, and families model that behavior. Manhattan can be a big, impersonal, and hard place to live but we have found a warm and nurturing community in Schechter Manhattan. My children's education is a daily gift for which I am regularly grateful.

I am a parent of 2 children at SSSM, and an educator. My children have been challenged, nurtured, supported and strengthened by the staff of this wonderful school. The personal attention they constantly receive is notable. My husband and I have treasured watching them thrive academically and emotionally each and every day. We look forward to many more great years!

I am a parent at Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan and I am also a congregational Rabbi. I believe that this school teaches kids not only content but how to learn and demonstrates how to inculcate a love of learning. The students come away each day with the ability to ask questions, delve deep into a myriad of areas, and make connections between a variety of subjects. The theme based learning in the early elementary school classes is amazing. The fact that my child learned math, science, and social studies by studying Central Park shows that the school understands how to make learning relevant. The teachers and administrators are accessible for all parents. From a Jewish perspective the students learn how to learn to be Jewish and why being Jewish (and living as a part of a larger Jewish community) is important and meaningful. They learn skills that are easily replicable in a synagogue setting and they also learn the Jewish values of taking care of the world.

My children are flourishing and thriving as excellent students and caring human beings in the warm, nurturing and academically challenging environment that SSSM has masterfully cultivated.

In a fast-changing world, Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan helps prepare children for tomorrow by emphasizing key values that have stood the test of time: kindness and concern for others, alongside high standards of academic achievement. Our child has been a student there for four years, and we are grateful for the guidance and the many opportunities for growth--intellectual, emotional, and spiritual--that the school, its first-rate teachers and its sensitive staff, have provided for him.

We have 2 kids in the school and the oldest has been in the school for seven years. It's a wonderful, nurturing, profound, warm and intelligent environment to be in. The teachers, the philosophy of the school, the menchleichkeit ,the individual attention and the openness to different point of view as well as the critical thinking make it a special school.

Schechter Manhattan offers the creativity and rigor of the best NYC private education, plus deep Jewish and Hebrew studies, all in a warm, responsive, and happy environment. This is a community of learning that is truly connected and caring -- from the parents, to the teachers, to the administrators, to the students across the grades. Schechter pays close attention to both social and intellectual development. We see the impact of this in so many ways, not the least of which is how our daughter has learned to negotiate conflict and work collaboratively. She looks forward to school, is learning lots, greets her friends - peers and older - with big hugs and smiles, and is proud of her Jewishness. What more could a parent ask for?

I am both a teacher and a parent at Schechter Manhattan, a teacher for almost 15 years and a parent for only a few months. I recently left school after an energizing faculty meeting and commented to one of my colleagues. "I love this place! I respect every single one of my colleagues without exception!" The faculty is across the board talented, mature, thoughtful, collaborative and creative. I'm sure I could come up with many other adjectives, as well. There is not one teacher that I wouldn't want my child to have at some point in his school career. The same wonderful things can be said about the leadership team at the school -- Head of School, Elementary School Division Head and Middle School Division Head are of one mind and model all of the incredible qualities that we nurture in our students. It's a recipe for success!

I am the parent of two SSSM students. SSSM has taught my children to think, analyze and question. My children have learned how to be contributing members to society and take responsiblity for the community that they live in. As a parent, I don't think that I could ask for more. SSSM pushes children to reach their full potential academically in a very sophisticated way, while keeping them grounded in the world that they live in and their obligations to this world.

I am an alumni parent. My daughter graduated from Schechter Manhattan after attending there from Kindergarten through 8th Grade. Her education and experiences there prepared her superbly for her high school and soon to be college career. She learned to be an active learner, a thinker, an engaged member of the community and a mensch. In addition, the school fostered a strong sense of warmth and community among both the students, families, faculty and staff. My daughter, my wife and I have all formed lifelong friendships from our years at Schechter Manhattan. The growth and success of the school has enabled them to move into their own space in which they continue to thrive.

My daughter was a student at Schechter Manhattan from Kindergarten to eighth grade. One of the primary values of the school is menschlichkeit--and this is what drew us to the school. The pedagogy at this school is ahead of its time as the rest of the country adopts the Common Core curriculum. At this school she was taught to think, analyze, communicate and work in teams -- skills necessary for the future workforce. Those skills have been noted by her high school teachers. The school also was a wonderful community of which to be a part. Our family made life-long friends there. As a Jewish day school her Jewish identity was firmly set and it continues to flourish as well as her compassion and kindness toward others. As an alumna she continues to be involved by attend open houses for the school. And as a former parent I continue to volunteer and suppor the school.