Williamsburg Northside Schools
Can someone in the know shed some light on prime Northside Williamsburg. With all of the new construction, won’t there soon be a decent grade school in the area? I know that sales have been slow at the new waterfront properties but still one would think a school would emerge that would be comparable to…
Can someone in the know shed some light on prime Northside Williamsburg. With all of the new construction, won’t there soon be a decent grade school in the area? I know that sales have been slow at the new waterfront properties but still one would think a school would emerge that would be comparable to some of the other more established Brooklyn neighborhoods. Can a school expert or two weigh in on this? Thanks!!!
Rob, why does a childless hipster hating homo like yourself even read (nevermind comment) on a thread about Williamsburg elementary schools?
PS34 ranks well in test scores, and most parents are very happy there, but a lot of people (myself included) think that facilities and resources matter too. I think 34 is a very good neighborhood school, and would be happy to send my kid there if I lived there. People move to some neighborhoods just for the schools, but Greenpoint is not one of those neighborhoods – that’s what I meant by not comparing with the best in Brooklyn.
PS132 is also a very good neighborhood school, with a very different philosophy (and it also lacks in facilities and resources). Personally, I prefer a more progressive pedagogy, but I also think its much more important that a school work – and both 34 and 132 do.
Regarding Northside Catholic Academy, that is different than Williamsburg Northside Preschool, which is what I was talking about. WNP is very good – don’t know Northside Catholic, but I’ll take your word on it.
insideschools.org (which may fold from lack of funding) is the place for all public school info
“None of the public schools in north Brooklyn compare with the best schools elsewhere in the boro, either in performance, facilities or resources”
WBer, PS34 consistently ranks near the top in boro-wide surveys. Its parents don’t crow about it though, so perhaps thats why you mistakenly think it doesn’t compare. As for facilities and resources you are correct, they are basic. You’re also spot on with the “traditional in pedagogy”. Which many parents see as a plus, and a good reason to avoid PS132. It is also traditional on discipline too, so parents might see that as a reason for their sprogs to avoid it or attend it.
I’d add: avoid Northside Catholic Academy if you can.
The Greenpoint schools are generally very good (see Northie’s post, above), although also very traditional in pedagogy. PS 132 is on Manhattan and Conselyea/Metropolitan, and is a more progressive school – its also very good, and a result very popular with many newer, younger residents. 132 is very crowded too; Greenpoint schools seem to be pretty full but not oversubscribed. PS 17 and PS 84 are undersubscribed, and many parents (from all walks) try to send their kids elsewhere (either parochial schools, private schools or by “moving” to another zone). There has been talk of putting a charter in 84, but nothing is planned at the moment. PS 17 seems to show the most hope of improving, but both 84 and 17 have a long way to go.
Northside Preschool is expanding into early elementary grades next year. It is a really good school (at the preschool level), albeit expensive. On the other hand, the Brooklyn diocese is closing and consolidating parochial schools.
None of the public schools in north Brooklyn compare with the best schools elsewhere in the boro, either in performance, facilities or resources. But the Greenpoint schools and 132 are very good, solid neighborhood schools. There is a new charter school in the eastern area of the district (almost into Bed-Stuy, I think). And there is also the East Village, where a lot of people have been sending their kids for years, but which is now oversubscribed and hard to back into.
And yes, development and SCA/DOE planning are completely separate. DOE was talking about closing schools at the same time that the City was talking about adding tens of thousands of new residents to the area.
I forgot to post the link to the article I mentioned:
http://nymag.com/news/features/56942/
I can provide some inside on the schools in Greenpoint, just on the other side of the park.
Catholic: St. Stanislaus Kostka is excellent.
Public: PS 31 and 34 are excellent. JHS 126 – stay away at all costs.
rob, don`t be such a weedy snatch-brute. who do you think is going to be paying for your s.s. in the future, and holding the door for you with your walker/iron lung?
I can’t speak to the Northside, but Brooklyn11218 is right, the DoE/School Construction Authority (SCA) has an idiotic way of calculating and forecasting population.
This is an interesting article from New York Magazine recently that talks about the disparity between actual census data and the DOE/SCA plans…