About UNIS
A Pre-K-to-12th grade, coeducational, college-preparatory day school, the United Nations International School (UNIS) was established in 1947 by a group of United Nations parents to provide an international education for their children, while preserving their diverse cultural heritages. What began as a nursery school for 20 children quickly grew, adding grades, students and faculty.
Today, UNIS has over 1600 students in two locations, serving the United Nations, international and New York communities. Our campus in Jamaica Estates, Queens is a K-8 school and our Manhattan campus, overlooking the East River, is Pre-K-12. 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 enable our students and 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 the elementary school; Arabic, Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese and Russian are also taught beginning in the seventh grade at our Manhattan campus. Additional mother tongues may be studied after school.
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.