23 Washington Sq N #PENTHOUSE
New York, NY 10011

I chose this school for my child because of its reputation. Because of Covid, we had to rely mainly on online reviews for schools we were considering and I must say that some reviews of PS41 gave me pause but I chalked them up to disgruntled parents. It turns out that our experience was much like some of the negative reviews here, save the parent coordinator, who has been replaced by Thom Lee, an absolute gem who goes above and beyond. This school is very regimented and does not feel warm. The kindergarten curriculum is what the DOE first grade curriculum used to be, focusing mainly on academics, with some specialty classes like art and dance squeezed in between periods in a disjointed way. Mid-Fall, at an informal gathering with my child's teacher, when asked how the school year was going, she mentioned that the boys were "still very physical" as if their energy would suddenly dissipate because the school year was now underway. (They are going to want to run and play for years to come!) There was a lot of "sit down," "sit still, "1, 2, 3 eyes on me," extrinsic rewards like a "prize box" and stickers, and teacher-as-God energy. My child would have a good day when there was a sticker and feel down when the next day the target behavior didn't earn a sticker. Our kindergarten teacher called another child's mom to report that her daughter was "taking too long in the bathroom," and "picking the nail polish off her nails," (the day after Halloween) and recommended an evaluation from a neuropsych: Feedback about my child, and feedback about other children in the class which parents openly shared, was painfully negative and centered around whether they were "paying attention," and "listening," and was obsessively about reading and reading only - in kindergarten. There is not play-based, art-based learning nor is the whole child and his/her wonderful personal characteristics taken into account. This felt like an institution that whips children into shape prematurely and out of step with their developmental timeline. They might leave here with a strong rote memorization of facts and appetite for extrinsic rewards, but perhaps at the risk of their sense of self, confidence, executive function and ability to think for themselves. If your child thrives in structure, likes to memorize and might like teacher-led learning, this could be good for you. I would not recommend PS 41. Many independent schools offer wonderful financial aid - see what you can do!

As a guardian of a current student at this school, this student is being bullied and none of the teachers are doing anything about it. It was already pretty bad that the teachers aren't doing anything about the bullying, but it is worse that the teachers did not let this student tell their family members about it because they say that it will make it a bigger deal. It is not alright for a teacher to tell their student to not call their parent because of it will ruin their school reputation. The teachers dealing with this problem says that they will be able to fix the problem but they didn't do anything. Now this student is afraid to go to school because the bullies threathens to jump this student and call their friends over to also bully and join in. Also, the bullies didn't get in trouble because the teacher said that he did not see it happen. This isn't the first time this student was bullied but the first time, there was at least one teacher that tried to solve the problem but she left so now this student is having trouble solving this new problem. As for learning, teaching, and other parts of reviewing a school, if students don't feel safe then they obviously would not feel motivated or excited about learning and other activities.

My son has severe ADHD and identifies as being gay. He was in Private $$$ Special Education from 4th till 10th grade. The support he gets at this PUBLIC school cannot even begin to compare. Each student is treated with RESPECT. If there is a problem between students, it is addressed immediately through mediation, where the students can talk it out. I have met the best staff and teachers at this school. They are there to support the whole family as well as the student. They will not give up on your child nor LABEL him/her. I am very thankful that I found this school, where my son gets supported and can be himself without sneers or bullying. This school deserves teaches the students compassion, volunteering in the community and gives them the tools they need to become successful, confident adults. If any school deserves an award, it is most definitely, The Harvey Milk High School.