⚠ Please read A documented court case in this school's history
A member of the school's founding family — longtime teacher and headmistress Lina Sinha — was convicted in 2007 of sexually abusing a former student (offenses dating to the 1990s) and sentenced to up to 14 years. It's a matter of public record, reported by national news at the time. Full details and sources are in School history below. The offenses are roughly two decades old and the school still operates; we report only the documented case, not unverified rumor.
Red Ownership & leadership undisclosed
The lowest transparency tier in our guide. The school publishes no named owner, head of school, or director, and no staff bios or credentials. Parents and staff also report that the current head operates remotely — by phone and email only — and has not been available to meet in person.
Snapshot
School history: a documented court case
Families researching this school should be aware of a matter of public record. According to national news coverage from 2007, Lina Sinha — a longtime teacher and the school's headmistress, and a member of the family that founded the school (her parents established it in 1969) — was convicted in 2007 of sexually abusing a former student. Reports state the abuse of one boy began in 1996, when he was 13; she was also convicted of related charges, including attempting to bribe a second former student to lie to investigators, criminal impersonation, and falsely reporting an incident. She was sentenced in April 2007 to a maximum of 14 years in prison.
Timeframe and context matter here: the underlying offenses date to the 1990s and early 2000s, and the conviction is now nearly two decades old — but ownership and control of the school have remained within the Sinha family that founded it.
Sutton Place
Sutton Place is a quiet residential pocket of Midtown East along the river near the United Nations — leafy cul-de-sacs and prewar co-ops just off the bustle of Midtown, served by the 6 and E/M.
Programs & ages
An unusually long span for a Montessori — preschool through middle school (roughly ages 2 to 14) — with small classes and foreign-language and arts enrichment. Confirm which grades are running for your year.
Tuition 2026–27
Tuition isn't posted publicly; request the current schedule directly. Compare context on the tuition page.
Leadership & staff
The school publishes no named owner, head of school, or director, and no teacher bios or credentials — the basis for its Red rating. Parents and staff report that the current head operates remotely, by phone and email, and has not been available to meet in person or by video. Before enrolling, insist on meeting whoever leads the school, ask for a current staff list and lead-teacher Montessori certifications, and request the school's written child-protection / safeguarding policy.
Accreditation & authenticity
An AMS member (and Associate School of the International Montessori Society) rather than an accredited Montessori — see our authenticity guide for what membership does and doesn't guarantee.
What parents say
Public review volume is limited. Current and recent families who post tend to be positive about the teachers and small classes; others researching the school specifically raise the history above. Weigh first-hand tours and current families' accounts, and verify safety through the official records linked in School history.
Heard around town
Signals from public parent forums and listservs. Forum chatter is opinion — often anonymous — so take it with a grain of salt.
We've deliberately not repeated the specific unverified claims from those threads. The one part that is documented — the 2007 court case — is covered factually and with sources under School history.
Admissions
Inquire and tour directly. Use our admissions timeline and planner to stay organized, and see School history plus the official records linked there as part of your due diligence.