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An Upper West Side private school may be on the brink of closure after a federal bankruptcy judge declined to approve a last-ditch financing proposal intended to keep it afloat.
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As first reported by Bloomberg, Manhattan Country School had pinned its hopes on an $8 million loan from a philanthropic group called Casa Laxmi. The high-interest loan — carrying a 12% rate — would have funded operations through the summer. But Judge David S. Jones denied the request on Tuesday, stating that the school had failed to justify putting this new funding ahead of existing creditors.
“The school appears to have been run in a quite financially irresponsible manner — maybe born of desperation,” said Jones.
Founded in 1966, Manhattan Country School — or MCS — is known for its sliding-scale tuition model and social justice curriculum, including a farming program in the Catskills where students learn skills like milking cows. Tuition can reach up to $59,000, but many families pay significantly less.
According to court filings, the school has just over $82,000 in cash on hand and recently missed payroll on May 15. Its main building, a six-story property at 150 West 85th Street (between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues), is estimated to be worth $38 million. The school owes about $25 million to Flushing Bank, which has objected to MCS using next year’s prepaid tuition deposits to cover current expenses — and had previously attempted to foreclose on the property.
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Peter Kamran, an attorney for the school, warned that without immediate funding, MCS may be forced to shut down this week, Bloomberg reports.
Despite the court ruling, a message on the school’s website as of Tuesday morning said it remains open and is still accepting applications and tuition for the 2025–26 school year.
“I hate the idea of families having a school go ‘poof’ on them right at the end of the school year,” Judge Jones said in court. “This is the ruling I’m compelled to make by the code and by the circumstances I’m presented with.”
The school’s final day and graduation are currently scheduled for June 12.
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When we were looking at elementary schools for my daughter, we looked at MCS when it was on East 96th Street. I will never forget that experience. We went into a classroom. The teacher was wearing running shorts and the kids were screaming and it was totally chaotic. He couldn’t get them under control. That was all I needed to cross them off my list.
Call me crazy, but isn’t that what tuition is? How about people donate their money to public schools where they need it instead of a school that can’t manage funds. Don’t want them teaching your kids math!