NYC Private School Offers A One-to-One Learning Experience

“We’re like the special forces of New York City education,” says Michael Gibbons, Head of School at Fusion Academy’s Upper West Side campus. “We do things that no other program can do because we are one-to-one, whether it’s differentiated instruction or flexible scheduling. Our boutique program emphasizes the relationship with the families and the students who accomplish goals that previously may have seemed unattainable.”

Fusion Upper West Side is part of a nationwide school network—accredited nationally and regionally.

Says Gibbons, “Our Upper West Side campus opened in 2015, but Fusion Academy was founded in 1989 by Michelle Rose Gilman.” What began as a tutoring center in Gilman’s Solana Beach, California home, for her academically challenged son and neighborhood kids, grew into a fully accredited school. Now there are over 80 campuses around the country.

Its ratio of one teacher for one student allows each child to learn better, dive deeper, and never get left behind.

According to Gibbons, what Fusion offers that traditional private schools don’t is that “the entire model is focused on individualized instruction to support students holistically: academically, socially, and emotionally. We do this through establishing a collaborative culture where the students and the teachers develop strong mentorship relationships, and every student learns at their own pace.”

Even though Fusion is not a special-education school, it does serve students who need a different type of instruction, which Gibbons described as “kids who have [Individualized Education Programs], kids who’ve been bullied, kids who have anxiety or depression. But we also work with kids who want to become professional athletes, musicians, and artists. Those who want to go to Ivy League schools. I think all of these students find success with us because we’re able to separate their academics from their social life.”

Homework at Fusion Academy is completed in school in a space known as the Homework Café, which Gibbons called “an incubator for friendship.” It’s where students can make friends, hang out, and also complete their assignments.

The director of Homework Café plans and facilitates activities around social-emotional learning themes so students get a well-rounded experience. Students can also join clubs, go on field trips, and attend events for their enrichment.

Fusion offers: a student body of 70 to 115 students; open enrollment; Advanced Placement courses for high schoolers; summer programs for middle and high school students to catch up, get ahead, or try something new; and guidance for seniors transitioning to college or with whatever their future goals may be.

Tuition rivals that of most NYC private schools, with scholarship opportunities.

Fusion Academy’s motto of “Love, Motivate, Teach” means that its teacher/mentors meet students where they are and help them build the confidence needed for social and emotional well-being. Gibbons summed up with: “Every family we onboard, we want to make sure they get our full love, care, and attention. I think that’s the special part of the program: it’s a full team focused on your family and your child.”

Fusion Academy Chelsea to open in late Fall.

Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of the novel The Last Single Woman in New York City.