United Nations International School (UNIS)

United Nations International School From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search This article is about the United Nations school in New York City. For the equivalent school in Hanoi, see United Nations International School of Hanoi. United Nations International School UNIS logo full high qual.png Address 24-50 FDR Drive New York City, NY 10010 United States Information Type Independent, International School, Private Established 1947 Director Dan Brenner Faculty 255 Grades PK–12 Enrollment approx. 1,600 Campus Urban Color(s) Light Blue & White Mascot Uniscorn Affiliation United Nations Website www.unis.org 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 1600 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. The school was originally located on East 70th street, before moving around 1970 into two premises on 51st (the Junior School) and 54th street. The senior school was housed on east 11th Street. The main building on 25th street opened in 1972. 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[1] enables students to go on to study in top colleges and universities in the United States and worldwide.[2] 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.[3] The school's current Executive Director is Dan Brenner. UNIS is a member of the Council of International Schools, the International Baccalaureate Organization, the European Council of International Schools, the New York State Association of Independent Schools, the National Association of Independent Schools, the College Board and is registered with the New York Board of Regents as an independent, not-for-profit school.