United Nations International School

Learning

Language and the Diploma

Sixth graders in the Spanish Language A class performed an original play for Kindergarten students, the school says, using characters they had designed in a unit on Greco-Roman theatre.

Languages run through the school. Children begin a second language, French or Spanish, in the Junior School, and a third starts in Grade 7, so Kindergartners are not taking on three at once.

Each language has A and B courses. A is for children who already speak the language well, such as heritage or home speakers, and it is not a dual-immersion program.

B is the acquisition path, with sections at several levels that include beginners. In the Junior School, French A includes math and humanities in French, and Spanish A includes humanities in Spanish.

Entry to French A depends on a placement test. The French section is accredited by France only for Grades 2 through 5, and the school says it does not prepare students for the French Baccalauréat.

If a later move to a French school is possible, ask what that would involve.

English is the main language of instruction. Students who qualify for English language learner support receive it at beginner, intermediate or advanced levels, adjusted as they progress.

Ask which level would fit your child.

In Grades 11 and 12, all students take IB courses and most pursue the full Diploma. The Diploma adds a 4,000-word Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge.

Ask how and when students settle on a course set.

Applying

Applying for Fall 2027

Everything runs through Ravenna: a family account, the initial application and a $75 fee, which aid applicants can have waived by asking admissions for a code.

Evaluations differ by division. Junior School applicants visit for a classroom observation, and parents join a teacher discussion instead of an interview.

Grade 5 and 6 applicants take part in a group visit, while Grade 7 and up have an individual conversation.

Middle School and Tutorial House (high school) applicants submit ISEE or SSAT results. A MAP report can substitute if the current school gave the exam within the past year.

For mid-year availability and dates, contact admissions.

Families who work for the UN, a mission or a consulate, or who have relocated from abroad, may receive priority past the deadline or mid-year. That is not automatic admission.

Cost and aid

Fees and financial aid

Tuition rises with grade, from $46,856 through Grade 4 to $52,167 in Grade 12.

Beyond tuition, each child carries a $1,400 annual capital surcharge, and each family pays $200 for Parents' Association membership. New families also pay a one-time $3,500 levy.

Lunch, music lessons and after-school programs are billed separately.

On acceptance, a $250 admissions fee is separate from the $75 application fee. A $1,000 prepayment counts toward tuition; the $300 security deposit is refundable on graduation or withdrawal.

UNIS says aid status does not influence admission. Families apply through SSS, ideally alongside the admission application so the two decisions arrive together.

Mission and consulate employees document salary and any housing or education allowance, which can be meaningful for the aid picture.

School day

Afternoons

Care is open to students through Grade 6 on a full-time, set-day or emergency basis, and current rates are on the school's page.

After-school classes run from the Junior School through high school, in sports, technology, finance, the arts and languages.

Support

Learning support

Support comes in three tiers. Tier 1 is built into daily classroom teaching.

Tier 2 adds small-group instruction, often led by the classroom teacher with a learning professional. Tier 3 is individual instruction in the Learning Lab.

The tradeoff to understand: Learning Lab instruction replaces world language study, so for a child who needs Tier 3 the language path changes. Families make that decision with the Student Support Team.

Ask what your child would give up and for how long.

UNIS on dates, age cutoffs, language tracks and fees

UNIS runs its own calendar and language tracks, so confirm this year's dates, which cutoff applies, how placement is decided, and which fees recur.