595 Eastern Pkwy
Brooklyn, NY 11216

The school has a very rigorous vetting process for its incoming 6th graders, who are then placed into an intensive program, taking Regents classes at twice the pace because of double periods, receiving additional help at Saturday Academy and taking classes in the summer. Most students enter high school with all of their Regents requirements fulfilled. This all sounds really good on paper.The first problem is that the quality of the passing grades is often really low and Regents is a poor metric for the quality of student knowledge. For example, to pass a math Regents, a student can know how to do 10/24 multiple choice questions, guess the rest and ignore all free response questions.The second problem is that the school has no electives, so once students enter high school, they all end up taking AP classes. The AP program at the school is really strong, but many students can't handle 5 to 7 APs every year. Since there are no alternatives, students who fail an AP class are often programmed for the same class next year and end up failing it again.The third problem is that because of overcrowding students often can't be scheduled well. For example, some seniors end up taking 3 or 4 gym classes because they weren't programmed for gym classes earlier. Students' schedules are also changed a lot, some students have their programs changed well into October.There is a culture of working hard at the school. Both students and teachers put in extra hours. Many teachers and students are willing to stay after school and come in on Saturdays and Winter and Spring breaks. If programming at the school was better, I feel like the outcomes would be significantly higher. As it stands now, the school has 1/10 student progress, at least according to GreatSchools.If you want to enroll your child in this school, you will need to be an extremely proactive parent and reach out to the Principal, Guidance Counselor and individual teachers as necessary.

This is a great school if you are an evil step-parent. The children do not go out to play out side if the teachers “don’t feel like it”. Classes for instruction are also used as break rooms for the staff. Staff enter classrooms they are not assigned to so you do not know who is interacting with your kid. The school updates it’s Instagram but not it’s website. And the PTA advertises Zumba classes in the school communication app. Your child is better off at home. However if you are don’t like your children this is the best school in America.

I wouldn't be who I am today without MS 354. I've lived by 3 rules: Follow the rules, make goods choices and learn something new everyday! This school was my home away from home.. I'm forever grateful!