Overview
International High School at Union Square (IHS-US) is a New York City public high school in Manhattan that serves recently arrived immigrant students who are multilingual learners [2]. New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) lists the school as M438, with a geographic district of 2 and the District Borough Number 02M438 [1]. The school serves grades 9 through 12 [1].
IHS-US is one of the New York City public high schools designed specifically for immigrant students who are still developing proficiency in English, rather than a school that serves a general attendance zone. Its enrollment criteria and instructional model therefore differ from those of a typical zoned high school [2].
The school was founded in 2010 and is a member of the Internationals Network for Public Schools, a network whose member schools operate in New York, California, Connecticut, Virginia, and Utah [2]. IHS-US describes its mission as empowering students to thrive in a diverse world by helping them learn to collaborate with others and advocate for themselves, with the goal that graduates identify as global citizens with both rights and responsibilities [2][3].
Location and School Identity
The school is located at 40 Irving Place, Manhattan, NY 10003 [1]. That address belongs to building M460, which the school shares with other schools [1]. The NYCPS listing describes the school as partially accessible [1].
Because more than one New York City school uses the words International High School in its name, readers should identify this school by its full name, its address at 40 Irving Place, and its District Borough Number, 02M438 [1].
Location and district affiliation should not be confused with admissions eligibility. IHS-US sits in NYC Geographic District 2, whose superintendent is listed as Thomas Rochowicz; the Community Education Council for District 2 is listed with Craig Slutzkin as president and a phone number of 212-356-3915 [1]. The district also lists a family support coordinator, Shogufa Sahibzada, at 335 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, phone 718-923-5181 [1]. Being in a particular building or district does not by itself establish that a student may enroll; eligibility for this school is tied to the specific student population it serves [2].
Grades and Academic Programs
IHS-US serves grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 [1]. The school states that it enrolls only recently arrived immigrant multilingual language learners who have lived in the United States for four years or less [2].
Program features described by the school include:
- Instruction that supports students in using both English and their home languages to discover ideas, express opinions, and synthesize learning [2].
- Interdisciplinary projects based on real-life contexts, delivered in what the school describes as a supportive, personalized atmosphere [2].
- Heterogeneous groupings and collaborative projects intended to develop students’ multilingual communication skills [2].
- A portfolio approach to assessment; the school describes itself as a Portfolio school with English Language Arts and Mathematics Regents only [2].
Portfolio schools in New York City generally evaluate student learning in part through collections of work assembled over time rather than relying exclusively on end-of-course Regents examinations. That is a general description of the model, not a statement of this school’s requirements in every subject, and families should ask the school which assessments and portfolio requirements apply to each grade and diploma pathway.
The sources examined for this profile do not list specific course titles, advanced coursework, elective offerings, athletics, or clubs for IHS-US. Those details should be confirmed directly with the school rather than assumed from the school type.
Admissions and Enrollment
The clearest eligibility statement available from the school is that it enrolls only recently arrived immigrant multilingual language learners who have lived in the United States for four years or less [2]. The NYCPS school page states that school-specific admission information can be found by browsing NYC Schools, rather than reproducing the admissions method on the page itself [1].
The sources examined do not describe a specific application form, deadline, lottery, priority rule, or documentation requirement for IHS-US. Because admissions rules and deadlines can change, families should confirm current requirements with the school and with NYC Public Schools before applying. Nothing in the available evidence should be read as a guarantee of admission, and a Manhattan address does not create eligibility for this school [1][2].
Student Services and Family Information
The NYCPS listing for M438 identifies several staff contacts and services, as of the listing retrieved in October 2026 [1]:
- Parent coordinators: Victoria Feliciano and Patricia Pancorbo Christ [1].
- Respect for All liaison and Sexual Harassment Prevention liaison: Cecilia Fonseca [1].
- 504 coordinators: Adrianna Tagliavia and Maria Martinez [1].
- School Based Health Center with mental health services: Institute for Family Health, 646-654-0640 [1].
- Main phone: 212-533-2560; fax: 212-228-2946 [1].
On meals, the same listing shows breakfast from 7:20 AM to 9:45 AM under a menu labeled Breakfast Express, and shows no lunch service requested for the school [1]. Because meal service arrangements can change, families should confirm the current breakfast and lunch situation with the school.
Language support is central to the school’s model: IHS-US states that students are supported in every class to use English and their home languages, and that its students speak more than 25 different native languages [2]. The sources examined do not include verified information about transportation eligibility or extended-day programming for this school, so those questions should be directed to the school and to NYC Public Schools.
Leadership and contact details can change. The NYCPS listing retrieved in October 2026 shows Vadewatie Ramsuchit as principal [1]; readers should treat that as a point-in-time record and verify current information with the school.
History and Community Context
IHS-US was founded in 2010 and is a member of the Internationals Network for Public Schools, which the school describes as nationally recognized and which has member schools in several states [2]. The school characterizes itself as small, with a supportive and collaborative learning environment, and reports that its students come from over 50 different countries and speak over 25 native languages [2]. It also notes a Manhattan location that is convenient to public transit, jobs, and activities [2].
The sources examined do not provide enrollment counts, student-teacher ratios, graduation rates, attendance figures, or state accountability designations for this school. Those measures, when published, should be read together with their reporting year and the population they describe; demographic composition alone does not establish school quality or explain outcomes.
How to Verify Current Information
For operational details such as admissions, programs, and services, the most direct sources are:
- The NYC Public Schools school page for M438: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/M438 [1].
- The school’s own website: https://ihs-us.org/, including its Who We Are page at https://ihs-us.org/about-us/ [2][3].
For state-level records, New York State Education Department directories and school report cards can be searched by school name or by the school’s state identification code. No state identification code, federal (NCES) identifier, or school-level performance figure for IHS-US was available in the sources examined for this profile, so none is reported here. Readers seeking enrollment, assessment, or graduation data should consult those official records directly and note the reporting year attached to each figure.