Welcome to our
Square.

School in the Square (S2) draws its name from the concept of the public square–a place where our students, families, and educators gather to learn from, support,
and celebrate one another. 

Our Story

School in the Square was founded in 2016 by Evan Meyers, who was assigned a principal apprenticeship at one of the lowest-performing schools in NYC with a 25% graduation rate. He became aware of the dismaying statistics of NYC public schools, specifically at his then-current district, where 73% of students could not read at grade level, and 50% of teachers gave up teaching within only a few years. “I was determined to build a school community that was going to work, and work for teachers,” Meyers said. “This was going to be a place that thinks about everybody.”

By the Numbers

Personalized Education

8:1

Student-to-teacher ratio

Growing Community

1500+

Families of current students and alumni served

Students Love S2

96%

Attendance rate

Food Security

8000+

Bags of food distributed to our Families

Our Academic Approach

A culture of care leads to a culture of achievement.

We greet each student warmly by name, seek their input on school policy, and listen carefully to all parties in a conflict, reinforcing norms of trust, respect, high expectations, support, optimism and accountability.  By continually hearing the messages, “we know you, we have time for you, you matter,” students recognize the responsibility they have to themselves and to their community. 

The setup for success.

We have built-in advisory periods where students learn to increase their concentration and self-awareness, and practice stress-reducing strategies like meditation.  Students can also spend this time learning homework strategies, practicing goal-setting, developing academic perseverance and tenacity, or for extra studying.


Academic achievement is our key focus.

S2 is committed to being data-driven while keeping students, not only test scores, at the center.  Our students come from many places with varied levels of academic skills, and we meet them where they are.  Our co-teaching model allows for targeted, individualized teaching in all core classes, and all students benefit from additional small group learning and extra practice periods throughout the week.  Personalizing each student’s education is the key to their success.


Learning extends beyond the classroom.

S2 offers high quality experiences that spark each student’s passion for learning to build skills beyond core subjects.  Volunteer teaching artists and staff from community-based organizations mentor cohorts of our students through interest-aligned programming, and specialized classes, called Passions.  Topics range from playing rugby, to making mural art, community  service, web coding, and even cooking. Through these programs students gain a vision of future possibilities and forge bonds with their community.


A built-in democratic community at S2.

We give students authentic opportunities to practice democracy and make choices that contribute to our school.  We empower our students to address and discuss important & complex school, community, and social issues while learning multicultural awareness practices and perspective-taking.  When children believe their choices matter, they develop the personal skills necessary to exercise them responsibly.

Social-Emotional Support

What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL)?

SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to:

  • Develop healthy identities
  • Manage emotions 
  • Achieve personal and collective goals
  • Feel and show empathy for others
  • Establish and maintain supportive relationships
  • Make responsible and caring decisions

At S2 we have SEL teams at each school dedicated to the wellness and support of each of our students, helping kids with conflict management and resolution, developing healthy identities, and becoming self-aware.

What sets S2 apart?

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