Established 1947 Grades PK-12 Campus Urban Founded 1947 Number of students 1,550 | Faculty 255 Enrollment approx. 1,500 Phone +1 212-684-7400 Affiliation United Nations | |
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Type Independent, International School, Private Address 24-50 FDR Drive, New York, NY 10010, USA Similar Unis, The British Internatio School of, Friends Seminary, Léman Manhattan Preparato, Dwight School Profiles | ||
United nations international school top 5 facts
The United Nations International School (UNIS) is a private international school in New York City, established in 1947 by families who worked for or were associated with the United Nations. The school was founded to provide an international education, while preserving its students' diverse cultural heritages. Today, UNIS has over 1550 students in two locations, serving the United Nations, international and New York communities. The campus in Jamaica Estates, Queens is a K-8 school and the Manhattan campus, overlooking the East River, is K-12.
Contents
- United nations international school top 5 facts
- What is harmony united nations international school
- Curriculum
- College attendance
- Events and programs
- Alumni
- References
UNIS was one of the founding schools of the International Baccalaureate (IB) and was among those awarding the first diplomas. The comprehensive K-12 curriculum prepares UNIS students for the IB, and the school’s internationally recognized academic standards enables students to go on to study in top colleges and universities in the United States and worldwide.
The main language of instruction is English and all students study French or Spanish, beginning in elementary school. Arabic, Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese and Russian are also taught beginning in the seventh grade at the Manhattan campus. Additional mother tongues may be studied after school.
Jane Camblin has served as the school's Executive Director since 2013. Prior to her arrival at UNIS, Camblin served as head of the French-American International School (FAIS) in San Francisco for nineteen years. Before her term at FAIS, she was an administrator and consultant in public and private schools in England, France, Australia and the United States. She is a recipient of a Sarah D. Barder Outstanding Educator Fellowship Award from Johns Hopkins University and a Klingenstein Fellowship at Columbia University.
The current Chairman of the Board of Trustees is Vijay Nambiar, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Myanmar. Mr. Nambiar has also served as Chef de Cabinet to the Secretary-General at the rank of Under-Secretary-General from 2007-2012.
What is harmony united nations international school
Curriculum
In the formative years, UNIS offers a school-designed curriculum, from Kindergarten to Grade 10. Junior and senior students enroll in the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBDP) or IB Courses, where a wide range of subjects are offered. Within the framework of IB requirements, students have the possibility to choose from over 200 course combinations.
Students are taught in relatively small classes, with averages of 17 children in kindergarten (JA), 17 in grade 1 (J1), 17 in grade 2 (J2), 19 in grades 3-4 (J3-J4), and 21 in middle and high school (M1-T4). Emphasis is placed on preparation for the IB exams during High School, for which virtually all seniors sit (full Diploma or Certificate). Children whose parents transfer from abroad to work for the United Nations, Missions to the UN, and Consulates enjoy priority in terms of admission, but admission is not necessarily automatic. All children are required to be interviewed and assessed in person at UNIS, in addition to consideration of official school reports.
The AEFE categorizes this school as a French international school.
College attendance
Nearly all UNIS graduates matriculate at four-year colleges in the semester following graduation, with a small number choosing a gap year program. A typical year will see 75% to 85% of graduates enrolling at colleges in the United States with remaining graduates attending 20 different universities in thirteen countries outside the U.S.
Events and programs
Each year, juniors and seniors from UNIS host a co-curricular conference focusing on a major social theme for peers from schools across the world. Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, UNIS-UN is hosted at the United Nations each spring at the General Assembly Hall.