BASIS Independent Brooklyn

I had high hopes for PS. 29.Every year my child’s experience has been radically different. There seems to little alignment as students move from grade to grade. There is no system or app that allows for fluid communication. While there has been some amazing teachers, the lack of social and emotional support for students compounded with the inability to keep students safe from harassment, would make me reluctant to recommend this school.

32 is a very special community. My daughter adores every aspect of this school and I cannot recommend it enough. All of the staff and teachers knew my daughter's name in pre-k. We received offers from both 29 and 58 for kindergarten and we chose to stay at 32. Strong leadership, wonderful teachers, great selection of specialty classes, fantastic afterschool program.

I have two kids in the school this year and we absolutely adore it. It is not our zoned school and I am so glad we chose 124. It is a small school, which makes it feel like family. All the staff know my kids’ names and how to best engage them in learning. There is strong social-emotional support including free counseling through the CBO partner, Counseling in Schools. There is also low-cost extended care 3K-4K and free after school for K-5 through a partnership with YMCA. My children feel both challenged academically and safe in the school. There are many enrichment programs available as well including a full time art and music teacher as well dedicated science, social studies, and theater teachers; and external programs such as dance, improv, swimming, coding and Lego robotics, among others. Over the last two years, the school has shifted to incorporate more project- and play-based learning, recognizing that these are children and learning can take many forms, including how you interact with peers to strategize and solve math problems or read & write a story together.Of course every school has challenges, but it’s important to note that leadership is open to feedback and willing to work with individuals and families to best support them. The parent community is highly engaged, prioritizing family events over high priced galas and auctions. We love the diversity of the school — cultural, language, socioeconomic — as it reflects the broader NYC and global community. This is not something that can be said for other neighborhood schools. Highly encourage folks to check out the website (ps124brooklyn.org) or stop by for a tour.

I was genuinely excited about enrolling my son after reviewing the school’s website and conducting my own research. The information presented gave the impression that the school was well-equipped to support children with IEPs. However, my experience over the past month has been deeply disappointing.Since his enrollment, I have received repeated complaints about behaviors that are developmentally appropriate, particularly given that my son can become overstimulated at times. Rather than demonstrating patience or implementing supportive strategies, I felt consistently pressured to transfer him to another school. This situation has taken an emotional toll on both me and my child.This transition was already significant for him, as he moved into a larger school environment. Instead of being supported through that adjustment, I feel his abilities were underestimated, and there seemed to be surprise when he began to show progress. That response raises concerns about expectations and the level of support being provided.Additionally, my interactions with his occupational therapy (OT) provider were particularly concerning. The communication I received felt overly focused on complaints rather than collaboration or solution-oriented support.Based on my experience, the school may be better suited for students who do not require additional support, as I did not observe the level of patience or specialized approach necessary for children with IEPs. Overall, I believe the school’s website may be misleading in how it presents its capacity to support children with diverse needs.

most teachers are great, the younger teachers are the best teachers honestly, good environment and everybody knows eachother, like all the high schoolers and middle schoolers all know each other regardless of their grade the kids here are very easy to befriend. Islam is taught very well but the one problem will be that the kids here as of now aren't the best and they do bad things and i'd say its just what this generation has become, the kids here are no better then public school and this is coming from a person who has went to public school for 10 years.