Léman Manhattan Preparatory School
🇺🇸 New York · Founded 2005 · IB / American · Ages 1–18
Reviewed by Priscilla Han · 2026-07-23
A premium, downtown-Manhattan IB World School (est. 2005) spanning 12 months through Grade 12 across two Financial District campuses — distinctive as New York City's only school with a residential boarding program, MSA-accredited and NYSAIS-member, with the IB Diploma as its optional capstone.
Curricula
IB, American
Age range
1–18
Languages of instruction
English
Annual fees
SGD USD 70,700–72,000 (Kindergarten–Grade 12)
Enrollment
750
Boarding
Yes
IB authorised
DP
Accreditations
MSA, NYSAIS
Tier Profile
We only tier dimensions backed by a public inspection verdict or verifiable accreditation. Other dimensions show a data flag — never a guessed score.
BrightKey's Assessment
Léman Manhattan Preparatory School was established in 2005 in Lower Manhattan's Financial District — originally as Claremont Preparatory School, acquired by the Meritas group in 2011 and renamed Léman after its Swiss namesake, Collège du Léman (founded 1960 near Geneva). It is a co-educational, non-sectarian independent day school serving students from 12 months old through Grade 12 across two campuses: the Broad Street campus (41 Broad St, 12 months–Grade 5, in the former Bank of America International HQ) and the Morris Street campus (1 Morris St, the Cunard Building, Grades 6–12).
Academically it is an International Baccalaureate World School. Its own materials describe an 'IB approach' beginning in early childhood and culminating in the IB Diploma Programme in Grades 11–12, where students choose either the full IB Diploma or individual IB Course Certificates. The DP is the only IB programme explicitly confirmed on the school's official pages; a full PYP/MYP continuum is asserted by third-party directories but is not corroborated on Léman's own site, so it is treated here as unconfirmed. Instruction is in English.
A genuine differentiator is that Léman runs what it (and independent sources) describe as New York City's only residential boarding program, launched in 2012 for upper-grade students, with boarding housing near the upper-school campus. The community is highly international (100+ nationalities reported), with a published average class size of 18 and 45 competitive athletic teams.
Honest positioning: a well-resourced, expensive, verticals-under-one-roof Manhattan independent school with recognized regional accreditation (Middle States, accredited through 2031) and NYSAIS membership. As is typical of U.S. independent schools, there is no graded public inspectorate, so the tier is capped at A. It does not publish IB average scores, and its headline outcome claim ('80% of graduates accepted to highly selective colleges') is school-reported and unverified.
Why These Ratings?
Inspection & AccreditationA — Excellent
Accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (through 2031) and a member of NYSAIS — the standard regional/independent-school signals for a New York private school. The United States has no graded public inspectorate (unlike the UK's Ofsted/ISI or Dubai's KHDA), so the tier reflects accreditation and membership depth and is capped at A — S is reserved for schools with a genuine graded public inspection verdict.
Strengths & Trade-offs
Strengths
- Full vertical continuity under one operator: 12 months through Grade 12, across two purpose-fitted Financial District campuses
- Recognized regional accreditation — Middle States (MSA), accredited through 2031 — plus NYSAIS, ISAAGNY and Parents League membership
- IB Diploma capstone with flexibility (full IB Diploma or individual IB Course Certificates)
- New York City's only residential boarding program (launched 2012) — a genuinely rare offering for a U.S. day school
- Highly international community (100+ nationalities reported) with a small published average class size of 18
- Fully transparent, grade-by-grade published tuition — more disclosure than many peers
Trade-offs
- Does NOT publish IB average scores or a verified university-destination list — the headline '80% accepted to highly selective colleges' is school-reported and unverifiable
- Full IB PYP/MYP continuum is claimed by third-party directories but NOT confirmed on the school's own pages, which describe only an 'IB approach' culminating in the DP
- Among the most expensive schools in the sample — Kindergarten–Grade 10 at USD 70,700 and Grades 11–12 at USD 72,000 for 2026-27
- Boarding tuition is not published on the official site (third-party directories cite figures near USD 89,000–95,000 all-in, unverified)
- The only public enrollment figure (~750) is a 2016-17 third-party number; no current official total is published
- No graded public inspection verdict exists (U.S. norm) — quality rests on accreditation and self-published claims
Is It Right For You?
Best For
- ✓Families in or relocating to Lower Manhattan wanting a single K–12 (indeed toddler-to-18) independent school
- ✓Families specifically seeking a U.S.-based day school with a genuine residential boarding option
- ✓Internationally mobile households valuing an IB Diploma pathway and a multinational student body
- ✓Families who can absorb premium Manhattan private-school fees (financial aid is available from Kindergarten)
Not Ideal For
- ✕Outcome-driven families who require published IB averages or verified college-matriculation data before enrolling
- ✕Families who specifically need a confirmed, authorized IB PYP/MYP programme in the early and middle years (not corroborated on official pages)
- ✕Budget-sensitive families or those needing aid before Kindergarten (financial aid begins at K)
- ✕Families seeking a Cambridge/A-Level or explicitly single-curriculum American/AP-only pathway
Curriculum
International Baccalaureate World School, English-medium. The IB Diploma Programme (Grades 11–12) is the confirmed IB authorization on the school's own pages — students take either the full IB Diploma or individual IB Course Certificates. The school describes an 'IB approach' beginning in early childhood, and third-party directories assert a full PYP/MYP/DP continuum, but PYP and MYP authorization are NOT corroborated on Léman's official site and should be verified at ibo.org before relying on them. No Cambridge/A-Level route.
Fees
Fully published for the 2026-27 school year: Kindergarten–Grade 10 USD 70,700; Grades 11–12 USD 72,000; PreK4 (full day) USD 59,000; PreK2/PreK3 (full day) USD 44,000; Léman Explorers (12–24 months) USD 8,800 (2 days) to USD 15,000 (5 days). A USD 2,000 sibling discount applies; families in grade 6+ supply their own device. Financial aid is available from Kindergarten (applied via Clarity), with 3/5/7-installment plans. Boarding tuition is not published on the official site; third-party directories cite roughly USD 89,000–95,000 all-in — unverified against the school. Confirm current figures directly with the school.
Admissions
Co-educational, non-sectarian. Birthday cut-off for PK2/PK3/PK4 and Kindergarten is December 31 of the enrolled school year. Applications are submitted via Ravenna; boarding applications run through a dedicated Global Admissions team. Financial aid is available from Kindergarten (need indicated on the application, then Clarity).
Campus Life
Two Lower Manhattan (Financial District) campuses: Broad Street (41 Broad St, 12 months–Grade 5, former Bank of America International HQ) and Morris Street (1 Morris St, the Cunard Building, Grades 6–12), with amenities including swimming pools, art studios, libraries and a rooftop playground. Reported: 100+ nationalities, average class size 18, 45 competitive athletic teams, ~70% of students living in Lower Manhattan. Residential boarding (grades 7–12 per third-party sources; upper school per the official site) launched in 2012 — described as NYC's only school boarding program.
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: the school states that 80% of graduates are accepted to highly selective colleges, and that IB Diploma students are 'more than 20% more likely' to be admitted to the most prestigious universities. No IB average score, pass rate, or itemized university-destination list is published.
Sources
Every verifiable fact carries a public source — verify it yourself.
- Léman Manhattan official — About / At a Glance (campuses, boarding, nationalities, class size) · 2026-07
- Léman Manhattan official — Academics Overview (divisions: CECE, Lower, Middle, High) · 2026-07
- Léman Manhattan official — International Baccalaureate (DP optional / IB Course Certificates) · 2026-07
- Léman Manhattan official — Tuition (2026-27 schedule) · 2026-07
- Léman Manhattan official — History & Tradition (est. 2005; Collège du Léman namesake) · 2026-07
- Wikipedia — Léman Manhattan Preparatory School (Claremont Prep origin, Meritas 2011, MSA to 2031, boarding, enrollment 2016-17) · 2026-07
- Spear's 500 — Léman Manhattan (day/boarding fee ranges, pupil count) · 2026-07
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