Zipporiah Mills

Both of my kids attend the school and absolutely love it. There is very strong parent engagement. My kids have made really great friends and they feel like they are a part of a loving, diverse and special community. The teachers work very hard to ensure every child is learning.

We love this school. We think they've found the right balance between core skills and the arts. Our five-year-old has thrived at 261. She has been identified as Gifted & Talented and we find that there is plenty to challenge her there. We are particularly impressed with their after-school program, where out daughter is in Chess, Karate and Cinema. We had concerns about an aggressive student, and that was resolved quickly and professionally to our satisfaction (the child in question was moved to a classroom with two teachers where he could be better supervised). Kudos to the Principal Ms. Davis and the amazing staff.

I'm a parent of a 3rd grader and a Kindergartner at PS 261. We've attended one other local NYC public school, so I have some basis for comparison. I have found the school culture, teacher quality, and community/family engagement at PS 261 to be excellent. The curriculum has been well balanced between rigor and play/discovery, with a foundation of cultural fluency and social-emotional learning. Both of my kids are motivated and excited to learn new skills as a result. School staff at all levels value and care about the children in their care. The after school program is wonderful and quite cost-effective in my experience. The remote learning years were difficult, but from where I sat, everyone was doing their best. I would heartily recommend this school to anyone who is considering it.

If you have a child on the spectrum or with special needs, stay clear of this school. They are not interested in supporting your child for success. They will have your child spend tons of time outside of classroom and on ipad. The leadership at school is sub par as well, so that doesn't help if you want to escalate.

The administration in this school did a horrific job during the pandemic. Teachers dropped essential curriculum and did the very minimum all year. Teachers appeared to have no training for leading remote learning and zoom meetings were total chaos. Principal has no interest in academics or allowing parent-led enrichment activities. She cancelled the parent-run science fair. Need I say more?