50-32 97th Street
Corona, NY 11368

Both of my children attended PS13 from kindergarten. For the first few years, we were pleased with the instruction and the teachers’ attentiveness. However, after 3rd grade, we noticed a steep decline in the quality of teaching and teacher engagement.Teachers seemed increasingly unmotivated and disconnected from their students. Communication was poor—you’d be lucky to receive a timely response to emails or messages. When concerns were raised, many teachers became defensive instead of working with parents to support student success.The school appears to place far more emphasis on the arts than on core academics. At the time my children were enrolled, there were no science or STEM classes until 5th grade. In today’s digital age, this delay puts students at a clear disadvantage compared to their peers elsewhere.To be fair, the principal was actively involved and did make efforts to work with parents. Unfortunately, the overall teaching environment and culture in the upper grades overshadowed that leadership. By the time my oldest reached 4th grade, we knew we had to move both of our children to another school.At their new school, they are thriving—even with a more rigorous curriculum and full schedule. We were not surprised to find more than a dozen other former PS13 students there as well; many parents clearly shared our concerns and chose to transfer out before graduation.While PS13 had promise in the early grades, the lack of consistent quality instruction, STEM opportunities, and supportive teacher-parent relationships after 3rd grade ultimately drove us to make a change for the better.

I had a horrible experience at this school. They’re telling my niece who is currently a student that I was a monster. My niece knows what was actually going on behind the scenes so how dare they try to change the narrative and destroy my character. I was being bullied and they did nothing!

I transferred my daughter to this school in March 2025 after a traumatizing set of experiences in a local middle village JHS Charter. The School we left had caused some serious emotional scars, and I was on the hunt for the best JHS for my daughter. I was invited to attend a parent meeting that was being held at IS77 (Tea with the Principal). In that meeting I meet 10 other parents who deeply cared about their school. They were so excited about the coming year and sharing all the success their children had experienced thus far and the plans for state test prep. The principal and the parent coordinator were seated and taking pages and pages of notes because these opinions mattered.There were teacher leaders in the meeting using their free period to listen to these parents. I had never seen such care. When i shared why a parent with no child in the building was there - the parent coordinator got up and called the main office and said, "send me a registration package". I was told not only would my daughter be welcomed with open arms - but they will also ensure her a seat in the honors program the following year, and they will work with me to get her any help (emotionally) she needed. It was a genuine care for a child they never met. JHS is tough years for our kids! Everything is changing - new demands - their whole being is changing - they need understanding and support in all the ways possible and IS77 OVER delivers in that regard. The parent community and family engagement is second to none - The Teachers are true rockstars! and these kids wow me every time with their kindness! I may have to just leave a review for the principal! Ms.P is an outstanding leader and is accessible to her community. I wish I would have taken the time to really get to know this school before I made the decision based on "old views" of this school. This is NOT the 77 you think you know! Ms P and her team will make time to welcome anyone who wants to learn about 77! and as a parent, I will always volunteer to do the same because of how much this school has helped me, help my daughter love school again!