Avenues The World School: Parent Guide to a Global Private School Network

Avenues: The World School is a private, tuition-based school network founded in 2012 and headquartered in New York City ¹. The school serves students from age 1 through 12th grade (roughly age 18) and describes itself as "one school with campuses" in New York and Sao Paulo, designed to let families transfer between campuses while following a unified curriculum ¹². Its educational model centers on a proprietary curriculum framework called the Avenues World Elements (AWE), which organizes learning into 60 interdisciplinary "elements" combined with 11 "learning experiences" such as language immersion, projects, and service ².

The school is non-traditional in several respects: it uses a bespoke curriculum rather than a standard national or state framework, offers bilingual immersion in Spanish or Mandarin from early childhood through 5th grade, and was conceived from the start as a multi-campus global network rather than a single-site institution ²¹⁰. Its history includes significant ownership changes: the New York and Sao Paulo campuses were acquired by Nord Anglia Education on November 16, 2023, while the Shenzhen, Silicon Valley, and Online programs remained under separate management ³¹⁴. Nord Anglia itself was subsequently acquired by an EQT-led consortium on March 20, 2025, in a transaction valuing the company at USD 14.5 billion ⁴.

Snapshot facts

Field	Detail
Official name	Avenues: The World School 1
Operating status	Active (New York and Sao Paulo campuses); Shenzhen operates independently under license 13
Founded	2012
Founders	H. Christopher (Chris) Whittle, Benno C. Schmidt Jr. (deceased 2023), Alan Greenberg
Current leadership	Todd Shy, Head of School, Avenues New York
Primary location	259 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10001
Grades served	Ages 1 through 18 (Nursery/Pre-K through Grade 12)
Public/charter/private status	Private, independent, nonsectarian 112
Tuition (New York, 2026-27)	$75,300 USD
Admissions model	Selective application with First Choice (binding) and Regular Notification rounds 5
Educational model	Bespoke interdisciplinary curriculum (AWE); language immersion; Mastery program 210
Accreditation	New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
Evidence confidence	Mixed: public NCES data and school-reported outcomes 612

What it is

Avenues opened in 2012 in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan with 740 students ¹¹. The school was founded by Chris Whittle, Benno C. Schmidt Jr., and Alan Greenberg, none of whom currently hold operating roles at Avenues. Whittle is now Executive Chairman of Baret Scholars; Schmidt died in 2023; and Greenberg is CEO of Illuminarium Experiences.

The New York campus has grown to approximately 1,900 students as of 2026, drawing families from over 34 countries who speak more than 40 languages at home ¹¹. NCES data for 2021-2022 recorded 1,838 students with a student-teacher ratio of 7.0 to 1 ¹². The Sao Paulo campus opened in 2018; together with New York, the two campuses serve over 3,000 students combined ³⁶. Early institutional investors included LLR Partners and Liberty Partners, which provided growth capital financing in January 2011, before the school opened.

Educational model

Avenues' curriculum is built around the Avenues World Elements (AWE), a framework developed over more than a decade of in-house research and development ². The AWE table defines 60 "elements" across categories including thinking, character, well-being, understanding, purpose, interconnections, origins, nature, innovation, and investigation, paired with 11 "learning experiences" such as language immersion, projects, and service ². The framework is designed to be consistent across campuses so that students can transfer between New York and Sao Paulo while maintaining curricular continuity ².

Key programmatic features include language immersion in Spanish or Mandarin Chinese from nursery through 5th grade, a World Course providing interdisciplinary global studies from preschool through graduation, and High-Intensity Practice (HIP) in writing, math, and coding to develop cognitive skills and executive function ¹⁰. In the upper grades (9-12), students can pursue the Mastery program, a multi-year self-directed project pathway, and the highly selective Mastery Learning System (MLS), in which approximately 25 students per cohort replace up to half their regular coursework with interdisciplinary projects of exceptional depth ¹⁵. More than 80% of Avenues faculty hold advanced degrees ¹⁰.

Student experience

Avenues describes its campus culture as one focused on "welcome, safety and respect," with an emphasis on interdisciplinary, project-based learning ¹. Students collaborate across campuses and engage with diverse perspectives, cultures, and languages as part of daily school life ¹. The school offers nearly 70 clubs and organizations for grades 9-12, ranging from publications to affinity groups to community and social impact organizations ¹⁵.

A deans program assigns each upper-grades student a dean who provides social-emotional support and college counseling guidance; students typically have one dean in grades 9-10 and another in grades 11-12 ¹³. The New York campus also runs Campus Flex, a hybrid program for grades 6-12 that combines in-person and online learning. Following the Nord Anglia acquisition, students at the New York and Sao Paulo campuses gained access to Nord Anglia partnerships with UNICEF, The Juilliard School, MIT, and IMG Academy ³.

Curriculum, assessment, and progression

Avenues uses its own assessment framework rather than a standard state or national testing regime. The school does not publish SAT or ACT scores but reports that its students perform at levels comparable to top-performing countries on international assessments¹³. Grading is internal, and Mastery Learning System courses appear on student transcripts with a "Mastery" designation ¹⁵.

Progression follows a divisional structure: an Early Learning Center (approximately ages 1-5), Lower Division (grades 1-5), Middle Grades (grades 6-8), and Upper Grades (grades 9-12) ¹⁰. Students in grades 6-8 participate in project-based learning and interdisciplinary study designed as a bridge between lower-division foundations and upper-grades independence ¹⁰. Upper-grades applicants must be aged 14-17 by August 31 of their entry year, depending on the grade ⁵.

Public, charter, private, nonprofit, program, network, or platform status

Avenues is a private, independent, nonsectarian school network ¹¹². As of November 16, 2023, the New York and Sao Paulo campuses are owned and operated by Nord Anglia Education, a private international schools organization ³¹⁴. Nord Anglia was subsequently acquired by an EQT-led consortium on March 20, 2025, in a USD 14.5 billion transaction ⁴. Nord Anglia operates over 80 schools in 33 countries ⁴.

The broader Avenues brand has a disputed scope. One version holds that Avenues is one school with two campuses (New York and Sao Paulo). Another version includes the legacy network of Shenzhen, Silicon Valley, and Online programs. Following the 2023 transaction, only New York and Sao Paulo are in the Nord Anglia-owned Avenues network; Shenzhen operates under separate local management that licenses the Avenues brand, and Avenues Online and Avenues Silicon Valley transitioned to Aeon School, an independent entity ³⁷⁸⁹. A planned Miami campus was suspended before opening.

Locations and availability

Active campuses in the Nord Anglia-owned network include Avenues New York at 259 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10001, serving ages 1-18 with 2026-27 tuition of $75,300 USD, and Avenues Sao Paulo at Rua Pedro Avancine, 73, Jardim Panorama, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, serving ages 1-18 with tuition published in BRL.

Campuses outside the Nord Anglia-owned network include Avenues Shenzhen at No. 188 Tangxing Road, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China, serving ages 1.5 through 12th grade under separate management³. Avenues Silicon Valley in San Jose, CA, which served grades 4-11, is closed and transitioned to Aeon School⁸. A proposed Avenues Miami campus at 4949 NE 2nd Avenue was withdrawn before opening.

Aeon School, formerly Avenues Online and Avenues Silicon Valley, serves approximately 250 students in grades toddler through 12th grade across over 40 countries and holds NEASC accreditation ⁷⁸.

Tuition, admissions, and eligibility

New York tuition for the 2026-27 academic year is $75,300 USD, published as a unified figure. Sao Paulo publishes tuition in Brazilian reais (BRL). Avenues states it aims to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for admitted families, though financial aid is limited before kindergarten ⁵. Aeon School uses a separate indexed tuition model based on household income and assets ⁸.

Admissions to Avenues New York are selective. The school offers a binding First Choice round and a Regular Notification round, with most seats filled through First Choice ⁵. Applicants for grades 9-12 must submit ISEE or SSAT scores; testing for lower and middle grades is optional ⁵. The school typically enrolls 40-45 new students in grade 9 and 4-5 students each in grades 10 and 11 ⁵. Applicants participate in parent conversations, student interviews, and age-appropriate assessments ⁵.

Credits, transcripts, diplomas, certifications, and accreditation

• Avenues New York and Sao Paulo are accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
• The school is recognized as an Apple Distinguished School.
• Aeon School also holds NEASC accreditation and features NCAA-approved courses ⁸.

• The school grants a high school diploma upon completion of grade 12.
• Mastery Learning System courses are noted on transcripts ¹⁵.
• Graduates have been admitted to universities worldwide; the school reports 1,480 total graduates from 2016 through 2026 across both campuses ⁶.
• School-reported college destinations include NYU, Cornell, Stanford, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Brown, and numerous international institutions ⁶¹³.

Evidence and outcomes

Avenues New York graduated its first class in 2016, and Sao Paulo followed in 2018 ⁶. School-reported data indicates graduates have gained admission to over 200 colleges and universities globally ⁶. College Transitions, an independent college admissions consultancy, reports that over the past eight years Avenues graduates have matriculated at institutions including NYU (41 students), Northeastern (24), Cornell (21), USC (16), Penn (12), Columbia (12), Stanford (9), Brown (7), and Harvard (4) ¹³. These figures are school-reported or compiled from school-reported lists.

NCES data for 2021-2022 recorded total enrollment of 1,838 at the New York campus with a student-teacher ratio of 7.0 to 1 and 232.6 full-time equivalent teachers ¹². The school reported a 1:6 teacher-to-student ratio on its 2025-26 school profile ¹⁰.

Business Insider reported that Avenues has had seven different heads of school since 2012 and that the school was sold three times before the Nord Anglia acquisition ⁹. The school's original vision of building 20 campuses worldwide was not realized ⁹.

Best fit

Avenues may suit families seeking a private, globally oriented education with bilingual immersion, interdisciplinary project-based learning, and the possibility of transferring between international campuses. The school's high tuition and selective admissions process mean it is primarily oriented toward families who can afford private school costs or qualify for financial aid. The Mastery and MLS programs may appeal to students with strong independent interests who want time during the school day to pursue passion projects. Families should weigh the school's history of leadership turnover and ownership changes against current stability under Nord Anglia ⁹.

Questions parents should ask

1. What is the current status of the Campus Flex hybrid program, and how does it compare to the full-time in-person experience?
2. How does financial aid work at each campus, and what percentage of demonstrated need is typically met?
3. What is the relationship between Avenues Shenzhen and the Nord Anglia-owned campuses, and can students transfer freely between them?
4. How has the transition to Nord Anglia ownership affected curriculum, faculty retention, and campus culture?
5. What college counseling resources are available, and how does the deans program support students through the application process?

Sources

[1] "Avenues | The World School | New York and Sao Paulo," Avenues.org, https://www.avenues.org/, accessed July 22, 2026. [2] "Global Curriculum | Avenues World Elements (AWE)," Avenues.org, https://www.avenues.org/global-curriculum, accessed July 22, 2026. [3] "Avenues New York and Avenues Sao Paulo join Nord Anglia Education," Nord Anglia Education, https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/news/2023/11/16/avenues-new-york-and-avenues-sao-paulo-join-nord-anglia-education, accessed July 22, 2026. [4] "EQT Consortium Completes Acquisition of Nord Anglia Education," EQT Group, https://eqtgroup.com/en/news/eqt-consortium-completes-acquisition-of-nord-anglia-education-2025-03-20, accessed July 22, 2026. [5] "Admissions | Join Our NYC Private School | Avenues New York," Avenues.org, https://www.avenues.org/new-york/admissions, accessed July 22, 2026. [6] "Graduates | College and University Destinations | Avenues," Avenues.org, https://www.avenues.org/our-graduates, accessed July 22, 2026. [7] "Avenues Online, Official School of USA Fencing, is becoming AEON School," USA Fencing, https://www.usafencing.org/news/2024/august/27/avenues-online-official-school-of-usa-fencing-is-becoming-aeon-school, accessed July 22, 2026. [8] "AEON At a Glance 2024-25," AEON School, https://aeonschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/AEON-At-a-Glance.pdf, accessed July 22, 2026. [9] "Some Parents Say Avenues, $68K-Year NYC Private School...," Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com/avenues-nyc-private-school-sale-nord-anglia-2025-1, accessed July 22, 2026. [10] "Academics | Global Curriculum | Avenues New York," Avenues.org, https://www.avenues.org/new-york/academics, accessed July 22, 2026. [11] "Our Mission - Avenues | The World School," Avenues.org, https://www.avenues.org/our-mission, accessed July 22, 2026. [12] "Search for Private Schools - School Detail," National Center for Education Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Zip=10001&Miles=10&ID=BB162059, accessed July 22, 2026. [13] "Avenues New York: Private High School Spotlight," College Transitions, https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/avenues-new-york/, accessed July 22, 2026. [14] "Lowenstein Represents Avenues Global Holdings, LLC in the Sale of Avenues New York and Avenues Sao Paulo Schools to Nord Anglia Education," Lowenstein Sandler, https://www.lowenstein.com/news-insights/firm-news/lowenstein-represents-avenues-global-holdings-llc-in-the-sale-of-avenues-new-york-and-avenues-sao-paulo-schools-to-nord-anglia-education, accessed July 22, 2026. [15] "Avenues New York School Profile 2025-26," Avenues, https://a.storyblok.com/f/112543/x/5882c69501/ny_school_profile_2025-26_v2-1.pdf, accessed July 22, 2026.