United Nations International School

What United Nations International School does

United Nations International School (UNIS) is a private, not-for-profit, coeducational college-preparatory day school serving Pre-K through 12th grade at two New York City campuses — a Manhattan flagship on FDR Drive overlooking the East River (opened 1972) and a Queens campus in Jamaica Estates (acquired 1983). Founded in 1947 by UN parents and chartered by the New York Regents, UNIS enrolled approximately 1,410–1,545 students from roughly 97–120 countries in 2024–25, with about 50% drawn from UN-affiliated families and the remainder from New York metro households seeking a multilingual IB education.

Core academic offerings include the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (UNIS is one of 11 founding IB schools, dating to 1967), a Pre-K to 12 college-preparatory curriculum aligned with Common Core and NGSS, and a Modern Languages Department teaching nine languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish) plus accredited Sección Internacional Española and Section Française Internationale tracks. Technology infrastructure runs on the Veracross platform (parent, student, faculty/staff portals and calendar), with a 1:1 device program from M1 to T4, Ravenna for admissions management, and FACTS for tuition installment billing. Recent technology adoption includes the Wordly AI translation/captioning service (deployed at the Hanoi sister campus) and a Google Translate widget on the public site.

UNIS is funded almost entirely through tuition, with 2025–26 Pre-K-to-Grade-4 tuition of $45,500 and Grade 12 tuition of $50,658, plus a $1,400 capital surcharge per child, $200 Parents' Association membership, a one-time $3,500 New Parent Levy, and optional after-school, lunch, and music fees. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, but the school also draws on philanthropic capital (a foundational 1965 Ford Foundation grant of $7.5M and Rockefeller family gift of $1M built the Manhattan campus), the UNIS Fund, and government-sponsored teaching staff from Spain, China, Germany, and Italy. Approximately 80% of faculty have taught abroad, 40% have tenure of 10+ years, and G-4 diplomatic visas enable recruitment from 60+ countries.

Name

United Nations International School

Legal name

United Nations International School

Website

https://unis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

UNIS is a not-for-profit Pre-K-to-12 international day school in New York City, serving roughly 1,450 students from ~109 countries (about 50% UN-affiliated) with an IB Diploma Programme, nine taught languages, and 38 athletic teams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private International K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

English Learner (EL/ESL/ELL) & Bilingual Education Programs (EDAJAGAB), International Curriculum Early Learning Academies (e.g., IB Early Years) (EDACADAK), Academic & Classroom Integration Support (Study Skills, Academic Norms, Integrity) (EDAIAKAG)

Keywords

• International baccalaureate education
• College preparatory school
• Multilingual K-12 programs
• Private day school
• K-12 college preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: As a not-for-profit college-preparatory day school, UNIS's primary revenue is tuition. Tuition ranges from $45,500 (Pre-K to Junior 4) up to $50,658 (Tutorial 4) for 2025-26, with additional fees including a $1,400 capital surcharge, $200 Parents' Association membership, and a $3,500 one-time New Parent Levy. Optional programs include after-school programs, lunches, and private music lessons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

United Nations International School (UNIS) is a Pre-K to 12th grade coeducational college-preparatory day school delivering International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum across Manhattan and Queens campuses in New York City. The school offers instruction in nine modern languages, with three academic divisions (Junior School, Middle School, Tutorial House), supplemented by athletics, arts, college counseling, and after-school programming for children of UN families and New York metro residents.

Product overview

United Nations International School (UNIS) is a Pre-K to 12th grade, coeducational, International Baccalaureate college-preparatory day school. The institution operates a single campus in Manhattan with three academic divisions: Junior School (Pre-K to Grade 4), Middle School (Grades 5-8), and Tutorial House (Grades 9-12). Core offerings include the IB Diploma Programme (UNIS was a founding school in 1967), a Modern Languages Department teaching nine languages, Sección Internacional Española, Section Française Internationale, and specialized programs including arts, athletics (38 teams across three seasons), travel programs, college counseling, and the UNIS-UN student conference held at UN Headquarters. UNIS also operates the Pathways Project for international outreach and maintains extensive after-school programming. The school integrates technology platforms including Veracross portals, Ravenna for admissions, FACTS for tuition payments, and SoundCloud for podcast hosting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Junior School: Pre-K to 4th grade program focused on academic excellence while honing investigative skills and critical thinking.
• Middle School
• Tutorial House

Products and services

• Junior School (Pre-K to Grade 4) Early childhood and elementary education program for students ages 4-10 focusing on academic excellence, investigative skills, and critical thinking.
• Middle School (Grades 5-8)

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% completion rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VARCE (Local NGO, Nigeria)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2025UNIS partners with VARCE, a local Nigerian NGO, for the Pathways Project initiative aimed at empowering out-of-school women through education and skills training. The first year achieved a 96% completion rate. The program involved supplying MacBooks and Starlinks to participants, and the team returned from Nigeria in November 2025 ready to expand the initiative.
• Government of Spain (MECD - Ministerio de Educación)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Spanish Government's Ministry of Education (MECD) supports UNIS's Sección Internacional Española by appointing three government-sponsored teachers for Language & Literature and Humanities in Spanish from Kindergarten to Grade 10. The program is officially accredited by the Government of Spain.
• Government of ChinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Government of China supports UNIS's Mandarin program by appointing one government-sponsored teacher. The program is accredited by the Government of China.
• Government of GermanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Government of Germany supports UNIS's German program by appointing one government-sponsored teacher. The program is accredited by the Government of Germany.
• Government of ItalyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Government of Italy supports UNIS's Italian program by appointing one government-sponsored teacher. The program is accredited by the Government of Italy.
• FLIK Independent School DiningminorOthersFLIK Independent School Dining administers the dining/food program at UNIS, providing school meal plans and a la carte food options for students.
• FACTS (Tuition Management)minorOthersFACTS provides tuition management services for UNIS, offering families a monthly payment plan allowing annual expenses to be paid in ten interest-free installments beginning May 1 before the school year.
• Growth for Good (Strategic Planning Consultants)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGrowth for Good consultants assisted UNIS with summit preparation, workshop facilitation, and documentation/organization of perspectives during the development of the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.
• Various Arab-Speaking Nations (UN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeveral Arabic-speaking nations in the United Nations have contributed to UNIS's Arabic language program over the years, supporting its development and expansion.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lycée Français de New York: A leading French international school serving NYC's diplomatic and Francophone community with bilingual K-12 programs. Directly comparable to UNIS in serving UN-affiliated and internationally mobile families with a premium international curriculum.
• Avenues: The World School: A premium NYC-based private school offering a globally networked K-12 curriculum with multilingual programs. Competes for the same high-income international and globally-minded families as UNIS, with similar premium pricing.
• French-American School of New York (FASNY): Bilingual French-American private school in Westchester serving K-12 students with international and IB-aligned curricula. Comparable in serving internationally mobile families in the NYC metro with a multilingual mission.
• International School of Geneva (Ecolint): UN-affiliated international school founded in 1924 in Geneva, Switzerland. Sister UN international school sharing history, governance parallels, and the international IB mission that defines UNIS.
• United Nations International School of Hanoi: Sister UN international school in Hanoi sharing the UNIS name, mission, and IB curriculum. Directly comparable in serving diplomatic and international families with a multilingual IB program.
• British International School of New York: Premium international school in NYC offering English National Curriculum plus IB Diploma. Competes for the same internationally mobile NYC families as UNIS with a different (British) international framework.

Emerging players

• Dwight-Englewood School: Top-tier NJ-based private school offering IB Diploma Programme to K-12 students. Comparable to UNIS in offering rigorous IB curriculum and competing for high-achieving NYC metro families, though less internationally focused.

Broad incumbents

• The Dalton School: Elite Manhattan private K-12 school known for progressive curriculum and college-preparatory outcomes. Competes with UNIS for premium NYC families, though Dalton does not offer IB or multilingual programs.
• The Brearley School: Elite Manhattan all-girls K-12 private school with strong college placement. Comparable to UNIS in serving premium NYC families at similar tuition levels, though focused on traditional American college-prep rather than IB.
• Marymount School of New York: Independent Catholic K-12 day school on Manhattan's Upper East Side offering IB Diploma Programme. Comparable to UNIS as a NYC private school offering IB at premium tuition to families seeking rigorous international credentials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unisnyc
• YouTubevimeo.com/unisny
• Facebookfacebook.com/UNISNY
• Instagraminstagram.com/unisny

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about United Nations International School