Schools › West Side Montessori
Manhattan · Upper West Side

West Side Montessori School

An AMS + NYSAIS-accredited UWS institution since 1963 — infant through age six — that even runs its own Montessori teacher-training program.

✓ Accreditation verified
Listed in the American Montessori Society directory as an AMS-accredited school (checked July 2026).
See all checks & verify it yourself →

Green  Staff transparency

Green — the school names its teachers with their degrees and Montessori credentials, and runs its own teacher-training program. One thing to confirm: the site currently shows two different heads of school (incoming Loren DeNicola and a welcome letter still signed by predecessor Mimi Basso), a freshness gap worth checking. Why this matters →

Recent updates

Aug 18, 2026 — 2027–28 application opens September 1 (due December 15); open houses October 15 & November 9. Details →

At a glance

Snapshot

Location309 W 92nd St (infant/toddler at 212 W 95th St), New York, NY 10025 · map ↗
Ages3 months – 6 years
Tuition 2026–27Infant/Toddler $56,900–$69,180 · Twos $44,900–$50,320 · Multi-Age (3–6) $40,180–$62,100
Head of SchoolLoren DeNicola (hired 2025) — site also shows predecessor Mimi Basso
AccreditationAccredited by AMS and NYSAIS; ISAAGNY / NAIS / Parents League
ApproachAuthentic AMS Montessori; runs the WSMS Teacher Education Program
Founded1963
Contactwsmsnyc.org ↗ · (212) 662-8000
Enrolled
~233
Accreditation
AMS + NYSAIS
the high bar
Founded
1963
Photos

See the school

West Side Montessori building
Exterior
Inside West Side Montessori
Interior
Location — interactive map. Open in Google Maps ↗
The neighborhood

Upper West Side

Stylized illustration of the Upper West Side: prewar apartment buildings and brownstones beside a green park edge

The Upper West Side — prewar apartments and brownstones between Central Park and Riverside Park — is a classic family neighborhood dense with playgrounds and served by the 1/2/3 and B/C.

🏛️ Prewar + brownstones🌳 Central & Riverside Parks🚇 1/2/3 · B/C👶 Family-dense

Overview

Founded in 1963, West Side Montessori is a well-established UWS nonprofit serving infants through age six across two nearby buildings. It's notable for running its own AMS-affiliated teacher-training program (WSMS-TEP), which speaks to unusually deep in-house Montessori expertise.

Programs & ages

Infant/Toddler (from 3 months), Twos, and Multi-Age 3–6 classrooms, with a gym and roof play space, half-day through extended-day schedules.

Tuition 2026–27

Ranges from $40,180 (Multi-Age, AM) to $69,180 (11-month infant care). Roughly 20% of families receive need-based aid. Compare on the tuition page.

Leadership & staff

Teacher bios and credentials are detailed and strong. The catch: the site currently reflects a leadership handoff — new Head Loren DeNicola (2025) alongside a welcome letter still signed by predecessor Mimi Basso — so confirm the current head when you inquire.

Accreditation & authenticity

Accredited (not just a member) by AMS and NYSAIS — a top authenticity signal. See our authenticity guide.

What parents say

Independent reviews are sparse but positive (GreatSchools ~5.0 from a small, older sample), praising the community, staff and financial-aid ethos.

Heard around town

Signals from public parent forums and listservs and our own parent & alumni interviews. Forum chatter is opinion — take it with a grain of salt; interview quotes are first-hand and shared with permission.

"West Side: big, relaxed, loud & chaotic (not necessarily bad), not so Montessori compared with MMS, streamlined exmission process, least expensive." StreetEasy Talk · ~2009 · historical
"Big WSMS fans here… I've heard good things about their exmissions." StreetEasy Talk · ~2009 · historical

These are old threads; treat as period color, not current fact.

Admissions

An ISAAGNY member on the standard cohort calendar; tour in the fall. Plan with our admissions timeline and planner.

Sources: wsmsnyc.org (at-a-glance, tuition, community, welcome); amshq.org; GreatSchools; StreetEasy Talk. Verified July 2026. Community quotes paraphrased/historical; independent profile, not affiliated with the school.
⚑Something wrong on this page? Report an error →

Explore more

All NYC Montessori schoolsCompare tuitionIs it real Montessori?

Health & safety record

Violations heard and decided at the city’s administrative tribunal. We publish these in full, including when there are none.

  • 4cases on record
  • 2020–2025period covered
  • 2sustained
  • 2dismissed
  • $600penalties imposed

For comparison: across all 18,161 DOHMH child-care cases heard at OATH, 63.1% were sustained, 21.3% ended in default and 13.1% were dismissed. Most citations concern records, repairs and paperwork — staff immunisation files, premises upkeep, sink water temperature, background-check timing — rather than incidents involving a child.

Source: NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, case status data, checked 11 August 2026. These are adjudicated outcomes, not inspection allegations. The record gives the rule cited and the result, but never the inspector’s narrative — the charge text always reads “see attached NOV”. Outcomes can change on appeal. Something wrong? Tell us.

From the city’s live child-care register

  • Latest inspections: 309 W 92nd 6/16/26 — passed with no violations; 212 W 95th: infant/toddler 6/26/26 — passed; preschool 10/29/25 — reinspection not required
  • Drinking-water lead test: done — not elevated
  • Permits held by: THE WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL — W 92nd: ages 2–5 permit 4319 expires 3/23/27 (cap 160); W 95th: permits 106744/106745 expire 9/12/27 (caps 48 / 28)
Prior inspections (since August 2024):
  • W 92nd: 11/25/25 — Monitoring Inspection Non-Routine - Reinspection Not Required
  • W 95th: 10/29/25 — Initial Annual Inspection - Reinspection Not Required
  • W 92nd: 7/2/25 — Initial Annual Inspection - Reinspection Required; Fines pending
  • W 92nd: 4/29/25 — Initial Annual Inspection - Passed inspection with no violations
  • W 92nd: 12/19/24 — Monitoring Inspection Non-Routine - Passed inspection with no violations
  • W 92nd: 12/6/24 — Monitoring Inspection Non-Routine - Passed inspection with no violations

Source: NYC Health Department Child Care Connect (live register), checked 29 August 2026; refreshed weekly. Inspection lines are the Department’s own summary results. Pre-adjudicated citation details are not republished here; adjudicated outcomes appear above. Lead results shown with the Department’s protocol status.

Community

Join the discussion