The Geneva School of Manhattan, a private school offering a Classical Christian education, has successfully acquired the Upper West Side campus of the now-defunct Manhattan Country School for $33 million. This purchase marks a significant expansion for Geneva, which had initially offered $20 million for the property in May 2026. The bankrupt Manhattan Country School's six-story building at 150 West 85th Street was appraised at approximately $39 million in 2021 before its financial troubles led to closure in May 2025.
Geneva School's student body has shown significant growth, with a 43.10% increase since the pandemic, reaching 405 students currently enrolled and a projected 430 for the 2025-2026 academic year. Tuition at Geneva School ranges from $22,000 to $36,000, and the school provides over $2 million in financial aid. This acquisition will allow Geneva to further update and expand its facilities, following an 8,000-square-foot renovation mentioned in its 2024-2025 annual report. The school's current location is at 138 West 90th Street, just a few blocks from the newly acquired campus.
The sale process involved a stalking horse bid by Geneva School, which set a baseline for other interested parties. A deadline of June 15, 2026, was set for competing bids, leading to an auction where Geneva ultimately secured the property for $33 million. This outcome ensures that the West 85th Street property will continue to serve an educational purpose, a desire expressed by parents and alumni of the former Manhattan Country School, which was known for its progressive and multicultural philosophy and its upstate farm program in Roxbury, New York. Manhattan Country School faced bankruptcy after years of expansion-related borrowing and endowment depletion, exacerbated by pandemic-era enrollment shifts and rising operating costs.
