Alternative High School in Manhattan, NYC

The Smith School:
The Smith School on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, New York City, is a private, accredited alternative high school offering grades 7-12 to students who fail to thrive in large public schools. The Smith School offers limited enrollment (under 50) and small class sizes (5 students), and includes strong arts, music and college prep programs.

Small Class Programs for Students in Grades 7-12:
- On-site individual counseling and support sessions with our licensed School Therapist
- On-site speech and language therapy with our licensed Speech Pathologist
- Regularly scheduled peer group counseling sessions with our licensed Guidance Counselor
- On-site academic assessment and tracking provided by our licensed Learning Specialist.

Full Time Day Program (Grades 7-12):
Nearly all of our students attend The Smith School on a full-time basis. Upon enrollment, students are placed in those classes most suited to their ability level and academic history, and an individualized daily schedule is generated to meet their assessed needs.

In addition to the mandatory core academic subjects of English, Math, History, Science, and Foreign Language, all students are enrolled in Art, Drama, Computers or other Elective courses. A daily Study Hall period and a weekly Physical Education class complete the full-time student’s schedule, which begins with Homeroom at 8:30 AM and ends with Dismissal at 3:00 PM.

Summer Program:
The Smith School offers three intensive academic sessions during June, July and August. Covering one semester’s worth of material in a single subject, each class is conducted in a very small setting (usually less than 3 students per class) and meets for three hours per day beginning at 9:00 AM. Each session runs for a total of 3 weeks (15 class days) and earns the student, upon successful completion, one half of one credit towards graduation. Summer sessions are ideal for students who wish to earn additional or early credits, and also for students who need to catch up on missing credits for academic promotion.

Excel! Program:
Excel! is a supplement to the Full-Time Day program for students wishing additional assistance in homework completion, organizational skills, and test preparation. The Excel! Program is held daily from 3:00 PM-4:00 PM, and is highly recommended for any student who has, in the past, struggled to complete out-of-class work on a regular basis. All members of the faculty are available to Excel! students during this time for assistance and consultation.

Off-Site Instruction Program:
Following a prolonged illness or other personal crisis, a student may best be served by a transitional period of off-site instruction before returning to a full-time course of study. The Smith School is usually able to accommodate the needs of such students, and interested parents should contact the Director, Karen Smith, to discuss the details of off-site instruction.

Individual Tutoring Program:
Individualized tutorials in all subjects (including SAT Prep) and at all levels can be provided to students upon request.

Other Services:
The Smith School also makes available to all full-time day students the on-site services of our Guidance Counselor & School Therapist, our Learning Specialist, our Speech & Language Pathologist, and our Hearing Education Specialist.