Admissions

Tours for Prospective IS289 Families

IS289 will host in-person tours for prospective families (For Children Entering 6th Grade in Fall 2025) 

IS289 Tour Registration Form

Please make sure to register to ONE tour per family only. All families wishing to tour 289 must sign up for a tour.
 
We will also be hosting an Open House (no building tour) the evening of November 14th at 6:00 PM. 
 

In-person Tours:

10/17 at 9am

10/22 at 9am

10/24 at 9am

11/7 at 9am

In-person Open House:

11/14 at 6pm

Recordings and Slideshows

About IS289

IS 289 is a small middle school of 300 students, grades 6, 7 and 8. We attract students and families who share our belief in the:

  • Value of hard work,

  • Importance of productive collaboration based on respect for the ideas and talents of others,

  • Responsibility that students have for their own education, including self-initiation, self-evaluation and reflection, and the ongoing revision of work that goes into a project,

  • Celebration of diverse ideas and talents,

  • Value of authentic work; in other words, work that takes students beyond the traditional definitions of “school work” to work that has an impact on people’s lives.

What makes IS289 Hudson River Middle School special?

IS289 offers our students an exceptional middle school experience. Our unique qualities and attributes include:

 

Our Approach to Education

  • A small scale, supportive school community provides a nurturing and inclusive environment.

  • A challenging environment where teachers encourage students to cultivate their best intellectual, artistic and emotional selves.

  • One-to-one coaching program for academic success.

  • Inquiry based learning with a focus on problem solving and critical thinking skills

  • Performance based assessments.

  • We value authentic work; in other words, work that takes students beyond the traditional definitions of “school work” to work that has an impact on people’s lives.

  • ‘Break out’ spaces beyond the classroom for small group work and collaboration

  • Social activism learning integrated within the curriculum.

  • Advisory program in small groups.

Our Outstanding Opportunities for Learning

  • Dedicated and highly qualified teachers.

  • An extensive library boasting 15,000 volumes and electronic resources.

  • A dedicated student middle school reading room within the library.

  • Advanced educational and classroom technology products including AV equipment, interactive whiteboards, student laptops, digital projectors, cameras and more.

  • Integrated use of technology throughout the curriculum as well as dedicated technology classes.

  • Music and studio art program.

  • Spanish language program.

  • Support for academic excellence across the curriculum.

  • Relevant and focused academic field trips.

  • High school level mathematics Regents course in Algebra for eligible 8th graders.

  • An opt-in after-school Specialized High School preparation course (SHSAT) for 7th and 8th graders (PTA scholarships available).

Our Amazing Location and Building

  • Located in beautiful north Battery Park City on Warren Street by the Westside Highway.

  • Easily accessible and great transport links by road, subway and bus.

  • Next to Battery Park Ballfields, arguably one of the best ballfields in NYC. The ballfields are an enviable resource for IS289 students, used for recess, after-school sports coaching and interscholastic sporting events.

Our Extensive, Free After-School Program

  • Manhattan Youth provides our free after school program that offers both academic support and enrichment opportunities. The complete extracurricular program includes a full range of girls and boys interscholastic sports teams, school plays, STEM, literacy and arts enrichment activities, instrumental music lessons, cooking games and daily homework support.

Our Exceptional Student Body and Parent Community (and don't forget Hudson, our adorable school comfort dog!) 

  • Our school is small scale, inclusive and welcoming and this helps our students feel at home from the outset. Parents are encouraged to be involved as much as they want and our active PTA welcomes all!

  • In December 2017, Hudson, our comfort dog joined IS289. Hudson brings smiles and happiness wherever he goes and really does help our kids and staff feel better on challenging days. He is a very important part of our school community!

IS 289 is committed to providing a safe and supportive school environment where students are respected and free to learn without disruption or interference. We strive to ensure that students have a positive forum to express and explore different points of view in a peaceful and constructive manner.

Don’t just take our word for it, scroll down to get a sense of what our students and staff do here.