Question: Which Brooklyn Public Schools Are Getting Better?
We hear good things from parents about elementary schools P.S. 8 in Brooklyn Heights, P.S. 9 in Prospect Heights and P.S. 11 in Clinton Hill, even though they’re still a little under the radar compared to Park Slope’s P.S. 321, above. What other elementary schools are solid or about to turn a corner, in your…
P.S. 321 in Park Slope.
We hear good things from parents about elementary schools P.S. 8 in Brooklyn Heights, P.S. 9 in Prospect Heights and P.S. 11 in Clinton Hill, even though they’re still a little under the radar compared to Park Slope’s P.S. 321, above.
What other elementary schools are solid or about to turn a corner, in your opinion? We’re especially interested in what’s going on in Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Kensington, Bed Stuy and Williamsburg. Where would you send your kids?
Our kids thrived at PS 217 in Ditmas Park. It’s a large Pre-K-5 school, but very well managed and staffed, with warm friendly vibe and strong academics in a lovely building. It’s rapidly gaining in popularity as new families are moving into the area, and there is a 501c3 not-for-profit Friends of PS 217, made up of parents, alums and graduated parents, raising money to expand the already strong arts programs in the school.
also in District 14 – Brooklyn Arbor (PS 414), PS 147 which is starting a dual language japanese program, and on the radar, PS 196. Believe they all maybe magnet schools. Worth mentioning that PS 110 has dual language French and PS 84 has a strong dual language Spanish program.
P.S. 38 On Pacific, Dean and Nevins Streets is outstanding for Pre-K, especially Ms. Berte’s class. They expanded the number of Pre-K classrooms so that Pre-K now takes up the entire first floor. They often have a few open seats on day 1 of the school year so definitely check in if you are on a waiting list. Often, a handful of families that are accepted do not show up at the beginning of the school year. People from all over brownstone Booklyn send their kids here for Pre-K. The Kindergarten classes are generally good, too. The upper grades continue to improve year after year. P.S. 38 has good G&T tract that should not be overlooked. Arts, Dance and Science teachers are very good supplements to the regular school day. For the younger kids, a block room and a lego room are popular features. There’s a computer lab. They have a big school yard with a two play grounds, one for the Pre-K And Kindergarten kids only. If a few more families devoted themselves to the PTA and helped out the hard working core group of parents who do the majority of the heavy lifting P.S. 38 could dramatically increase its already successful fund raising campaign and bring it on par with other nearby schools like P.S. 261 and P.S. 29. The discipline issues and and staff vs. administration issues are largely a thing a of the past. If a few more parents became vested in the school it could easily push it over the top and make it one of the most desirable public elementary schools in Brooklyn.
When my kids started school things were on the upswing in district 15 and more and more parents committed to the public schools such as PS 10 and 261. My eldest tested into the gifted program at 29 which I opted not to send him to. At the time PS 58 was sometimes referred to Our Lady of Smith Street and it was very traditional with assembly days. I chose 261 for my eldest because I thought it would be a good fit and I had a great deal respect for the principal at the time.
The bottom line is that many schools evolve. They get “hot”, fall out of favor, leadership changes. Because of the policies and reliance on testing put in place by Bloomberg and Klein my younger by three years child had a very different
educational experience with an emphasis on test prep.
It seems like often when a school is gaining in popularity and becoming stronger Eva Moscowitz swoops in so I sometimes feel its best to let some schools fly under thd radar.
If I were a parent and didn’t want to deal with the middle school process and wanted a sure high school back up, I’d move to Bay Ridge
any thoughts on PS261?
We had a bad experience with our child after just K in 261 and pulled him out. We are much happier at a nearby Charter. 261 is poorly managed and organized and overcrowded. I do not believe the principal works very hard or instills a hard working culture in the staff. Every day we would pick up our son and the teachers looked ready to faint of exhaustion. The kids go virtually non-watched for 1/3 of the day when they are in lunch or playing with 1 attendant watching 125+ kids across the 5 classes per grade. It was utter pandemonium. We felt kids got very little direct attention in class as well. I would recommend the charter over 261.
My kids had great experiences at PS 261 and went on to really good middle schools and high schools (all public). But it’s been some time. My understanding is that it’s still a strong choice.
My kids had a very good experience but things have changed as they always do so I don’t feel equipped to answer your question. I think the administration is strong as are many of the teachers that I know.
“Of course it’s a personal decision and important to find the best fit for the child and family.”
While this is entirely true, it is also one of those phrases that has come to mean, “And that is why we do not send our children to school with the poor children who also inhabit the same building going to the other school that is co-located in it, with far fewer resources. Because that would not be the right “fit” for our family.”
Every student would probably benefit from 2 certified teachers, smaller classes, arts, foreign language and music. I am not criticizing your choice–just… admit what you’re doing is what you’re doing.