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K–12 School Groups

The Met welcomes all school-age learners! We invite you to request a guided visit led by trained Museum educators and volunteers or a self-guided visit, which allows you to lead your own students through the Museum. You may also request a virtual school tour where The Met joins your classroom online for a live experience with art.

Appointments are required for all school groups visiting the Museum. Availability is limited.

To request a guided or self-guided group visit at The Met Fifth Avenue or The Met Cloisters, please complete the request form.

All fees are waived for schools located within New York City. Schools located outside of New York City pay the Group Fees below.

Masks are strongly recommended.

Read our Group Guidelines and Visitor Guidelines.

Group Fees

Schools located outside of New York City, and tourism professionals or other organizations working with school and youth groups, pay the fees below.

Membership benefits and other passes are not valid for group admission.

Organizations with limited resources may qualify for significantly reduced rates or fee waivers. Please ask for details when you request a reservation.

Non-profit camp and youth organizations are eligible for discounted rates. See Camp and Youth Groups for more information.

Group Admission

Students$12
Required Adult Chaperones*$12
Additional Adults$28

One group leader per reservation receives complimentary admission.

*One adult chaperone required for every 10 students

Guided Tour

Admission plus flat fee per 30 students for a one hour tour $75

Guided Visits

Guided tours at The Met offer amazing opportunities for your students to make the most of their encounters with great works of art! Museum-trained educators and volunteers engage students in lively, inquiry-based conversations that strengthen curriculum connections and encourage critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning skills.

Each tour lasts 60 minutes; feel free to continue exploring the galleries with your students after the tour!

Each school is limited to one group visit per day and a maximum of three guided visits per semester.

How to Book

To request a guided visit at The Met Fifth Avenue or The Met Cloisters, complete the School Group Visit Request Form above at least three weeks in advance.

Please have ready:

  • Preferred date and possible alternatives
  • Numbers of students and supervising adult chaperones
  • Preferred guided visit topic
  • Details of any educational or accessibility needs

Guided Visit Topics

Review available tour topics before requesting your guided visit.

The Met Fifth Avenue Guided Visit Topics (PDF)

The Met Cloisters Guided Visit Topics (PDF)

Works of art at The Met are rich, primary-resource texts. While every conversational tour is inherently unique, our guided visits align with a range of state and national learning standards, including the following Common Core Anchor Standards:

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Group Size

Guided tours may have no fewer than 10 students and no more than 50 students. Larger groups will be considered on a case-by-case basis. One adult chaperone is required for every 10 students.

Groups will be divided into smaller pods in order to offer more individual attention to students and maintain safety in the galleries.

The Museum reserves the right to limit the number of adult chaperones participating in school group tours.

Visit Schedule

Guided visits are conducted as follows:

The Met Fifth Avenue: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 10:15 am–3 pm. Closed Wednesday.

The Met Cloisters: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 10 am–12 pm. Closed Wednesday.

Weekend appointments are not currently available.

Resource for Students on the Autism Spectrum

A social narrative (PDF) prepares students on the autism spectrum for a guided school visit.

Self-Guided Visits and Lecturing

Teachers and their students may explore the Museum's collection independently.

Lecturing is not permitted in special exhibitions. The Museum cannot guarantee access to all galleries at all times.

How to Book

To request a self-guided group visit at The Met Fifth Avenue or The Met Cloisters, complete the School Group Visit Request Form above at least two weeks in advance.

Please have ready:

  • Preferred date and possible alternatives, plus time of arrival
  • Numbers of students and supervising adult chaperones
  • Which collection areas you wish to visit

Group Size

Each school is limited to one group visit of no more than 50 students per day. Larger groups will be considered on a case-by-case basis. One adult chaperone is required for every 10 students.

Groups larger than 25 must divide into smaller groups before entering the galleries.

Visit Schedule

Self-guided appointments are available as follows:

The Met Fifth Avenue: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 10 am–3 pm. Closed Wednesday.

The Met Cloisters: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 12 pm–3 pm.* Closed Wednesday.

Limited appointments are available on weekends.

*The Met Cloisters closes at 4:30 pm November–February.

Audio Guides

Audio Guide devices are not currently available. Stream or download the latest Audio Guide content to your personal device. Enhance your visit to The Met Cloisters with the Bloomberg Connects app.

Teacher Resources

View pre-visit guides to help prepare for your group visit at The Met Fifth Avenue:

Programs

K–12 Tour + Studio Art Workshop


Think like an artist!

This special program pairs a 60-minute guided visit in the galleries with a 45-minute art-making experience in the Uris Center for Education's Studio. After exploring and discussing different sculptures in the galleries, students take over the Studio to create their own unique sculptures to take home. Creative challenges encourage material exploration, creative thinking, and problem-solving. Programs must be requested at least three weeks in advance.

  • K–12 Studio Art Workshops can accommodate a maximum of 30 students
  • Available Tuesday mornings from 10:30 am–12:30 pm
  • $400 flat fee per workshop (including New York City schools)*

*New York City Title I Schools qualify for fee waivers. Availability is limited. Please ask for details when you make a reservation.

Classes can no longer eat their own brown bag lunches in the studio space.

81st Street Studio + K-12 Tour

Think Like a Scientist! Hands on STEM learning with Art.

This special program pairs 30 minutes of dedicated time in the Uris Center for Education's new 81st Street Studio followed by a 60-minute guided visit of The Met’s collection. Experiment and learn in this new discovery space dedicated to exploring the science of materials used in the creation of a work of art.

  • Programs must be requested at least three weeks in advance.
  • 81st Street Studio + K-12 Tour can accommodate a maximum of 50 students.
  • Available Friday mornings.

All fees are waived for schools located within New York City. Schools located outside of New York City pay standard guided tour and admission fees. No additional fee for 81st Street Studio experience. Availability is limited.

Virtual School Tours

Make The Met part of your school year! Engage students with works of art from the collection online through a live, inquiry-based conversation led by a Museum guide. Choose between thematic tour topics that introduce students to a range of art from different cultures*:

Virtual School Tours of The Met (PDF)

To request an appointment, please contact schoolvisits@metmuseum.org at least three weeks in advance.

  • 45-minute online tour.
  • Available Wednesdays, 9 am to 3 pm Eastern Time (ET).
  • One class per reservation (up to 30 students).
  • Each school is limited to one session per day and a maximum of three virtual tours per semester.
  • At least one adult chaperone must be present in the virtual session at all times.
  • Please log in for your virtual tour on time. Classes arriving late may receive a shortened session. Any group arriving 15 minutes after their scheduled start time will forfeit their virtual tour.

Free for New York City public schools and all Title I public schools.

All other schools: $200 flat fee per class (one class per reservation). Payment is due one week in advance.

Under-resourced organizations may qualify for reduced rates or waivers. Please ask for details when you make a reservation.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm ready. How do I book a youth group visit?

Appointments are required for all groups visiting the Museum. To request an appointment at The Met Fifth Avenue or The Met Cloisters, please fill out the School Group Visit Request Form for K–12 school groups or the Camp and Community Youth Group Visit Request Form for summer camps and community youth organizations.

Do you have lunchroom facilities? May we eat in the cafeteria?

Unfortunately the Museum does not have indoor lunchroom facilities. Bag lunches can be stored while you are in the galleries, but please plan to eat outside or on the bus. We encourage groups visiting The Met Fifth Avenue to picnic in neighboring Central Park before or after your visit (weather permitting). Groups visiting The Met Cloisters are encouraged to picnic in surrounding Fort Tryon Park.

My group includes children with special needs. Should I use the online request form?

Yes. The Museum welcomes children of all abilities. When requesting your youth group visit, please let us know what accommodations we can provide in order to meet your needs. You can also reference a social narrative that prepares children on the autism spectrum for a guided visit.

We have a guided visit scheduled, but we have additional chaperones that want to attend. Is this okay?

Please notify us as soon as possible at schoolvisits@metmuseum.org so that we can assess the feasibility of your request. We typically permit only three chaperones per assigned guide and may not be able to accommodate the additional adults. If this is the case, the additional adults are more than welcome to do a self-guided visit and meet up with the group afterward.

How do I reschedule or cancel a confirmed group appointment?

All requests to change or cancel existing appointments must be made via email to schoolvisits@metmuseum.org. Please include your name, phone number, confirmation number, name of organization, and date and time of your visit. If you need to reschedule or cancel a guided visit, we kindly ask for as much advance notice as possible so that we can assign your guides to another group.

Do you have a place for buses or large vans to park at the Museum?

There is no school or charter bus parking in the vicinity of the Museum. We recommend referencing the New York City Department of Transportation website for bus layover locations.

The Met Fifth Avenue's parking garage can accommodate smaller vans. The clearance is six feet, six inches (6' 6"). Designated spaces are available in the parking garage for visitors with disabilities. Alternate arrangements can be made in advance for visitors with disabilities traveling in oversized vehicles. Please call 212-650-2010, between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

If we schedule a guided visit for a specific time, may we arrive earlier and look around on our own?

Due to the number of groups scheduled throughout the day, we ask that you arrive at your scheduled time. Your group is more than welcome to explore the rest of the Museum after your scheduled visit.

I have a guided visit scheduled and want to speak with the guides prior to the tour. Is this possible?

Yes, our guides will contact you seven to ten days prior to your visit to discuss your tour in more detail. They usually write to the email address you provided when you requested your visit, so be sure to check your email a week or so prior to your visit.

Can New York City schools book group visits during the summer?

Yes, NYC school groups are welcome to visit during the summer. All fees are waived for verified summer school programs and District 75 schools. Summer enrichment programs and summer camps that operate out of NYC schools are subject to Camp and Community Groups rates.

Does the Museum offer school partnerships? I'd like my students to experience more than a one-time visit.

Yes, the Museum offers a range of school partnerships! A limited number of free mini residencies, which consist of two in-school programs and one Museum tour, are available for New York City Title I and District 75 schools. The Met also works with schools to co-develop a limited number of customized and long-term partnerships consisting of programs at the Museum, in-school, or a combination of both. Please contact 212-570-3985 or educatorprograms@metmuseum.org for more information.

How should I prepare for my youth group visit?

We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Met before bringing your group to the Museum. There are a range of resources for you, including:

  • Lesson Plans
    Search for lesson plans with keywords, or sort them by age, subject area, collection area, and theme.
  • Curriculum Resources
    These comprehensive and fully illustrated guides provide useful background information and ideas for engaging children.
  • K–12 Educator Workshops
    The Museum offers a variety of programs designed for K–12 educators that explore objects in the Museum's collections, interdisciplinary curriculum integration, and methods for teaching with objects.
  • Museum Map
    The Museum's fully interactive map allows you to learn more about the building's layout and the artworks currently on view.
  • Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
    The Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History presents The Met collection via a chronological, geographical, and thematic exploration of global art history.
  • Curatorial Departments
    Read about the Museum's seventeen curatorial departments and how they study, exhibit, and care for the objects in the collections.

Please also review Group Guidelines before bringing your group to the Museum.

I have another question that is not answered here.

We are happy to help. Contact us at schoolvisits@metmuseum.org.


Program Support

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's school tour program is made possible by the generosity of Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman.

Additional school programs are made possible by the Brodsky Family Foundation, The New York Community Trust, Susan J. Schulte Fund, Marlene and Spencer Hays Foundation, and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.