Celebrating 47 Years of The Washington Market School at ourStreet Fair on Saturday, June 3rd!

June 2023

Fri

Last Day of School for Children

Mon

First Day of WMS Summer Program

Tue

Independence Day - School Closed

Fri

Last Day of WMS Summer Program

The Story

Over forty years ago, Ronnie Moskowitz founded The Washington Market School to provide high-quality early education for the children of her beloved neighborhood.

1976

Humble beginnings

The year was 1976, and Ronnie’s first lesson had just begun: a meeting of 6 students in her Washington Market (as TriBeCa used to be called) loft. This small class sparked a lifelong love of early education for Ronnie and laid the foundation for decades of nurturing young minds. Word spread and with the support of local artists and early neighborhood pioneers, the school grew.

1981

Establishing roots

By 1981, The Washington Market School received its first charter from the New York State Department of Education—but it had outgrown Ronnie’s small loft. In 1988, together with local parent-architects, The Washington Market School designed & opened a location on Hudson Street. Three years later, a second location was added at Duane Street with new classrooms, a library, music loft, art studio & more.

2000’s

Raising the bar

The early 2000’s were an exciting period of growth. In 2001, the Duane Street location doubled in size, annexing the space next door. Two years later, the Hudson Street location added two classrooms, a new library and studio spaces for drama, music, movement, art, and chess. In 2010, the Duane Street campus added two more classrooms, a gym, and rooms for music and art. Then a loft space became a light-filled library at Duane Street in 2016.

Our Campus

Where children create, explore and learn.

The Washington Market School campus is composed of 2 spacious locations: 134 Duane Street and 55 Hudson Street, both located in New York City’s TriBeCa neighborhood. Each site has been thoughtfully designed by leading architects with the education of young children in mind.

Classrooms are open and bright to create an aesthetically pleasing environment for young doers and thinkers. There’s ample space for parents, caregivers, and visitors to watch children at work.

Learn More