Ps 197 John B Russwurm

My child attends 3K, and I am extremely pleased with the school. The security procedures for building access are excellent, and the teachers and entire staff are caring, attentive, and professional. One of the things I appreciate most is the small class size, which is ideal for children at such a tender age. I recommend this school.

This school was once great, but Principal Jagarnath Ocasio has ruined it. It used to be a school where students were treated fairly and given an environment to learn. Now all the great teachers who were once there are gone and the school has very few teachers of color. Every year there are new teachers who are not invested in students. Students now bring weapons to school and test scores are the lowest in the city. Many parents and families have left because the principal is not welcoming to parents or the community. Additionally, parents are tired of fighting for culturally relevant learning.

The parent coordinator is very active and responsive to concerns. Unlike our previous school, I've noticed staff and occasionally the principal greeting children in the mornings. I also get the sense that they'll accommodate children's IEPs.One area of improvement is, the current drop-off and pick-up process at the main entrance can cause traffic congestion, especially on bad weather days. Would it better to pick up children from the school yard or designated indoor areas like the gym or auditorium.

I love this school because helped my child and improve the study from 60% to 90-100% in the class. I would recommend this school to all parent that would like their children to improve the grade and teachers are very communicate.

Great school with amazing teachers! It’s such a family oriented school, everything done is done for the goodness of the kids. I recently graduated from St. Mark the Evangelist, and my experience there was amazing.

This is a very good school family oriented and instill values and morals, one of my daughter past student and the other currently attending and it has been great for me over the years, apart from some bullying faced in the early years. I will recommend to anyone

Had my child enrolled here for third grade due to her school closing down. I will say that I have not been impressed and my child is ready to go. Cons-High Employee/Teacher turnover (from the staff to the teachers, they cannot retain staff)-Lack of Enthusiasm (the office manager who is at the doors in the morning appears as though he does NOT want to be there)-Lack of school activities / community event-Lack of school spirit -Seem to only care about two things: Test Scores and Attendance (contributing factors in funding and charter status with the state)-Lack of support for children with IEPs. IEP coordinator of the school failed to turn in my child's IEP report on time. I showed up to my IEP meeting with the NYC DOE only to learn the meeting had to be re=scheduled. -Uniform strictness: Yes we expect to wear uniforms, but now allowing the children to dress down for picture is somewhat excessive -NO afterschool services (partnered with Harlem Children zone down the street however seats are extremely limited_-Extended day is from 8am-4pm -''Natural'' juices are only allowed. Children are not allowed to have certain snacks or drinks for lunch. And the deans will enforce the students throw away drinks and food not allowed versus putting it back in lunchbox or bag. -Many of the teachers there give impression that they do NOT like their job. Pros-The Curriculum is challenging. -The inside of the building is aesthetically beautiful-The classroom names are creativeI highly suggest especially if your child has an IEP to stay clear of this school