Blue School is a progressive independent school located in New York City's Lower Manhattan. The school offers early-childhood classes for children as young as two years old, as well as kindergarten and elementary school classes that extend through sixth grade as of the 2015–16 school year. Middle school classes began in the 2015–16 school year and have continued through eighth grade since 2017. Blue School will shut down at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year. Educational approach Blue School has developed an education model which combines elements of other approaches and unique elements of its own. It offers a "dynamically balanced education for seriously curious young people" age 2 through grade 8. The school's Advisory Board includes Lawrence Cohen, Ph.D., Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D., and Dan Siegel, M.D. Dr. Larry Cohen describes it as "more about creativity than control". History Blue School was first established as an informal parent-run playgroup by the founders of the Blue Man Group and their wives when their children approached pre-school age. In September 2007, the playgroup opened as "Blue Man Creativity Center". As of September 2018, over 300 students are enrolled in pre-primary, primary, and middle school programs for children ages 2 through 8th grade with the number expected to double by 2028. Facilities The parent-run playgroup was initially located in a building housing Blue Man Group. As the playgroup grew into a formal education program, the school relocated to accommodate increasing numbers of faculty, staff, and students. In September 2008 the school opened a new space on Avenue B, and in September 2010 it relocated to a building on Astor Place previously owned by Cooper Union. In November 2010, Blue School announced that it was acquiring a permanent home and would relocate there in September 2011. The school's building at 241 Water Street, one block south of the Brooklyn Bridge and one block north of the Schermerhorn Row Block, was originally built in 1799 by Peter Schermerhorn to house a ships chandlery business. The building was rebuilt and significantly enlarged in 1991 by James Polshek and Richard Olcott, and served as the headquarters of the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey until the Institute relocated to Newark in 2010. The building's renovation included design services by David Rockwell of Rockwell Group, a member of the school's Advisory Board and designer of the nearby Imagination Playground. In October 2012, Hurricane