York Prep School in New York City has become the first school in the United States to join Cognita, one of the world’s leading global schools groups. The school will now form part of Cognita’s thriving community of over 90 schools that provide excellence in holistic education to over 65,000 students, preparing them to thrive in our rapidly evolving world.

Founded in 1969 by Ronnie and Jayme Stewart, York Prep is an independent college-preparatory day school for Grades 6-12, located in the Upper West Side neighbourhood of Manhattan. York Prep has outstanding teachers focused on delivering the highest standards of education. The truly tailored approach to learning for each student ensures that students exceed expectations and a successful College Guidance program also means that students proceed to their first-choice university.

The school’s proximity to Central Park and all New York has to offer allows teachers to enrich learning beyond the classroom. As part of Cognita, these learning opportunities will now expand across the globe.

Frank Maassen, Group Chief Executive Officer at Cognita, said: “We are delighted to welcome the students, parents, and the excellent YPS team to our Cognita family. The school’s clear sense of community and focus on holistic education aligns with the Cognita values. We look forward to exchanging ideas and learning from each other to further develop the global mindset for our students and colleagues.”

Ronnie Stewart, Co-Founder of York Prep School, said: “We chose to join Cognita because they respect the individual character and culture of their schools, empowering and supporting them to deliver the education reflective of the need of the community it serves. We are also excited by the wider opportunities provided by joining their global community of students and educators. We look forward to sharing expertise, insights, and best practices across the world, developing even richer learning experiences for our students.”

As part of our Cognita community, students and teachers will have access to global exchange and learning opportunities with over 90 Cognita schools in 14 countries on four continents. Colleagues will also benefit from tailored professional development programmes on teaching and learning, leadership, digital learning and wellbeing, including the ‘University College London Team Fellowship Programme’ in partnership with the world-leading Institute of Education, and the research informed ‘Be Well Learn Well’ program.