U N International School

UNIS describes its teaching approach as a rigorous international program grounded in the ideals of the United Nations, delivered in an inclusive and diverse environment focused on academic excellence. Its curriculum emphasizes innovation, creativity, cross-cultural communication, and student agency, while defining learning as the development of conceptual understanding, competencies, and character. (unis.org)

UNIS says families apply through Ravenna: create an account, submit the UNIS application, pay the $75 fee (waived for financial-aid applicants), and then complete grade-specific next steps. For PreK-4, that means an in-person assessment plus an ISAAGNY teacher form; for grades 5-12, applicants also schedule an interview or group activity, request official school reports and recommendations, and usually submit ISEE or SSAT scores, with recent MAP or PSAT scores accepted as substitutes in some cases; PK applicants must be 4 by September 1, kindergarten applicants 5 by September 1, and older applicants ordinarily move to the next grade. For the 2026-27 Manhattan-campus cycle, the application opened September 1, 2025, the regular deadline was November 15, 2025, remaining documents and interviews/assessments were due by mid-January 2026, and decision dates listed were February 5, 2026 (K), February 11, 2026 (grades 1-8), February 20, 2026 (grades 9-12), and February 26, 2026 (PreK). After November 15, 2025, UNIS says it continues accepting applications from UN families and others relocating internationally, while local New York families may check whether specific grades still have space; for midyear entry, applications were due March 1, 2026 and, if accepted, students had to be enrolled by March 17, 2026. I did not find a public formal waitlist policy on the admissions pages I reviewed, but UNIS does state that a few spaces can open during the year; its stated priority category is children whose parents transfer from abroad to work for the United Nations, Missions to the UN, and Consulates, although admission is not automatic and all children must be interviewed or assessed. (unis.org)