School in the Square

School in the Square (S2) is a fast-growing charter school currently serving elementary and middle school students, with plans to serve families from Pre-K through High School by 2023.  S2 engages, educates and empowers its students to respond mindfully and creatively to life’s opportunities and challenges. Drawing its name from the concept of the public square or “la placita”, S2 is where communities come together to solve problems and celebrate successes. Here, students, families and educators are seen, heard, and inspired. S2 students build the academic foundations, social-emotional intelligence, and the leadership skills necessary to excel in college and professional life. Our community is grounded in principles of justice, equity, diversity and inclusivity (JEDI), enacting a culturally responsive and sustaining lens to our pedagogical practice and consistently examining the ways we can continue to walk firmly in the pursuit of social justice and against injustice of any kind. S2 provides a progressive and rigorous learning community in which students thrive physically, emotionally, and academically through differentiated and personalized education and adults grow through rich and robust professional development. 

We take seriously our obligation as an anchor institution in our community. We understand that our students’ ability to learn is directly impacted by their access to basic needs. Through our Family Support Program, we support over 200 families every month with bimonthly food pantries and other essential services, including internet hotspots and rent relief.

We believe a culture of care leads to a culture of achievement. Our middle school is located in Washington Heights where our programs are designed with students’ personal interests and learning styles in mind. S2’s program is dedicated to providing each student with the tools and support to become lifelong learners. That includes embracing that 84% of S2 families are Hispanic or Latinx. Consequently, we launched Dos Amigos, an immersive Dual Language Pre-K-5 learning model in 2020, building students’ confidence in their identity and their ability to navigate and celebrate our richly diverse world. Dos Amigos, located in the heart of Inwood, provides our young learners with the tools that stimulate their minds, helping them outperform students in single language programs.

Opening Fall 2023, our high school expands on S2’s vision of our dual language elementary school (Dos Amigos) and middle school. Our high school will be culturally responsive, have a rigorous academic program with adequate scaffolding and support for all students to be successful, and have a focus on students developing their voices and sense of agency that they will use to forge their own futures and help their communities.

The charter school prides itself on a deep commitment to the profession of teaching, and a belief that careful thought and planning must go into the training, onboarding, and retention of teachers. Co-teaching is core tenet, as is a collaborative and team-oriented approach to improving in the profession. You are supported in your growth as a teacher and surrounded by dedicated colleagues whom you plan alongside. Teachers model the credo “relationships first” and you feel it when you are part of the S2 community.