Avenues: The World School
Avenues: The World School is an international system of for-profit private schools for toddler-12th grade. The first campus opened in September 2012 in New York City in the neighborhood of Chelsea. Avenues plans to open 20 or more campuses in other cities around the world over the next decade. The system is planned to be an integrated "learning community" with a shared vision, curriculum, technology, professional development of faculty and oversight by a centralized headquarters. History. Avenues was founded by Benno C. Schmidt, Jr., former President of Yale University, Chris Whittle, an entrepreneur in media  and education who had previously founded Edison Schools, and Alan Greenberg, who had been publisher of "Esquire". In 2015 Whittle left Avenues and would later found Whittle School & Studios. Prior to opening its New York campus in 2012, the company raised $85 million dollars. The New York campus opened after a $60-million renovation of a building originally designed by Cass Gilbert. The school opened with 12 of its planned 15 grades for the 2012–2013 school year, including all grades between nursery and ninth grade. The 10th, 11th and 12th grades were added over the subsequent three years . Avenues' first graduating class was in spring 2016. The school was unusual among New York City private schools in offering a binding early admission option. Avenues and several students from the school were heavily featured in the 2015 documentary film "Class Divide", which explores the topic of gentrification. References. Notes Further reading