Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith.
That’s what I’ve learned, and sometimes it pays off. With so many choices in New York City– and yet sometimes so few appropriate or viable options– how do you choose the best school for your child?
As parents, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the hoops you have to jump through to find a good program for your kid: the applications, the deadlines, the terms you have to learn (just to navigate Urban Baby!–‘DD, DF, DC, DH.’ (ps- DB: don’t bother)
Guidebooks used to be the best starting point, school search consultants and advisors have some obvious benefits, and websites and blogs offer parent perspectives, but the best approach, is just like identifying advanced learners: multiple measures.
So plan open house school visits, ask questions to the teachers and principals, have conversations with parents who have kids currently — or no longer enrolled. Attend a public event at the school, like a school bookfair or better- an auction. (What better way to meet the parent body and school faculty, see what monies are being raised for and get an inside look at the typical goings-on at the school.)
And keep in mind that what is ‘best’ for one child is not necessarily best for another. Don’t let ‘top schools’ ‘top tier’ or other NYC buzz phrases cloud good judgment.
This list, while not exhaustive, is simply a good place to begin the process.
LISTS:
The Observer’s Top 160 Schools 2012 list
The guide offers a list of 160 private, public, charter, preschools elementary, middle and high schools throughout New York City.
The rankings included here are based on consultation, advice and ratings from over 80 experts—school coaches, educational professionals and activist parents who are deeply immersed in the world of New York City schools. The ones listed here are all marked by excellence, and while many might disagree with these rankings (or some omissions), they represent the result of an extended investigation to capture the intense feelings that attach to the city’s great schools.
A sampling of their Top 5 picks by category-
Top 5 Preschools:
Rivendell School
PS58 The Carroll School
Brooklyn Friends School
St. David’s School
Cobble Hill Playschool
P.S. 107 John W. Kimball
P.S. 290 Manhattan New School
P.S. 183 Robert L. Stevenson
P.S. 35 The Clove Valley School
P.S. 3 The Charette School
Ethical Culture Fieldston School
Grace Church School
St. Ann’s School
Horace Mann School
Riverdale Country School
I.S. 187 Christa McAuliffe School
P.S. 334 The Anderson School
Mark Twain I.S. 239
Nest + M Middle School
M.S. 447 Math and Science
Riverdale Country Schools
Horace Mann School
Saint Ann’s School
The Spence School
The Packer Collegiate Institute
Bard High School
Stuyvesant High School
Bronx High School of Science
Staten Island Technical High School
Hunter College High School
St. Ann’s
The Brearley School
Horace Mann School
Trinity School
The Spence School
WEBSITES:
NYC Performance & Accountability
BOOKS:
- The Manhattan Family Guide to Private Schools and Selective Public Schools. 6th ed. Victoria Goldman and Catherine Hausman. Soho Press, 2010.
- New York City’s Best Public Elementary Schools: A Parents’ Guide. 3rd ed. Clara Hemphill. New York: Teachers College Press, 2005.
- New York City’s Best Public Middle Schools: A Parents’ Guide. 3rd ed. Clara Hemphill. New York: Teachers College Press, 2008.
- New York City’s Best Public High Schools: A Parents’ Guide. 3rd ed. Clara Hemphill. New York: Teachers College Press, 2007.
SCHOOL CONSULTANTS: [This is not a referral, just a list of some of the options]
- Abacus Mom
- Deena Maerowitz, J.D, M.S.W
- Manhattan Private School Advisors
- NYC School Help
- School Search NYC
- Smart City Kids
PALNYC 