The Manhattan Free School is an independent school for people from ages 5-18. Our school’s fundamental premise is based on the resolution constructed and adopted at the 2005 International Democratic Education Conference, which states:

In any educational setting, young people have the right:

  • to decide individually how, when, what, where, and with whom they learn,
  • to have an equal share in the decision-making as to how their organizations—in particular their schools—are run, and which rules and sanctions, if any, are necessary. We believe people are born curious and because of this we can trust in their desire to learn and their enormous capacity to make sense of the world on their own terms.

We believe children learn best by actively engaging with the natural world through firsthand experience.

We believe that people learn best when they decide what they want to learn, when they learn for their own reasons, and when they have maximum control over the pace and the manner in which they learn.

We believe that children are innately good and that schools should fit the child instead of the child fitting the school.

We believe that people of all ages learn responsibility when they possess and can exercise the responsibility and liberty to govern their own communities.

We believe children are naturally inclined toward wholeness and happiness.

We believe democratic free schools restore childhood to children and allow children to form healthy relationships with people of all ages.

Manhattan Free School is located on the third floor of St. George’s School in the East Village, one of the most historic, diverse, and exciting neighborhoods in NYC. We are one block from the 6 train on Astor Place, and very near the N, R, W, F and V trains.

Our location provides the opportunity to use the extraordinary neighborhood resources including: parks, libraries, NYU, Cooper Union, community gardens and neighborhood theatres and artists. In addition, we will help students arrange mentorships when their interests take them beyond our in-house resources.

The Manhattan Free School admits students of any race, color, national origin, and ehtnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, and other school-administered programs.

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