P.S. 47 Chris Galas

Seagulls strut on the lawn and drop clams on the roof of PS 47, a close-knit school that seems more rural than urban. In quiet Broad Channel on Jamaica Bay, most families have known each other for generations. With only one class per grade, everyone pitches in for special projects: When 8th-graders collect used bottles to return for cash to offset costs for their culminating-year activities, for example, the younger students participate.

Many children bike to school, and classes take turns cleaning the Jamaica Bay beach right outside the door for an environmental science project. "It's a great place to work and to send your children," said Parent Coordinator Rachel Colleran, who started a cooking club with the school nurse. This little community takes care of the wider community, too: "We're always involved," said Colleran. "A toy drive, Penny Harvest, a coat drive, recycling."

Former assistant principal Ann Moynagh became principal in 2012, and she is a well-respected leader, according to school surveys. The city called the school well developed, the highest rating, on the 2012-2013 Quality Review.

The building is a fusion of the school's original structure, erected in 1935, and another constructed in 1992, but it still remains cramped. An aptly named "multipurpose room" serves as gym, auditorium and lunchroom, and some offices are located behind partitions at the ends of hallways.

An art teacher travels with her materials to the classrooms and also covers science in the lower grades. The school offers Music Memory, a well-regarded program in which children learn about composers and musical styles tied to major historical periods. Children learn dance through a partnership with the nonprofit group Ballet Tech. Clubs include chorus, computer and chess.

Students participate in math, science and technology festivals and have won several trophies in technology competitions; they're displayed on the school website. The middle school math teacher runs a math fair in the spring and the middle school science teacher hosts a school-wide "Jeopardy"-style science quiz show.

PS 47 has an active parents association that raises funds to assist the school's arts programs and that sponsors events like an evening pajama party for kindergartners and 1st-graders. A newsletter for parents has good tips for helping kids with math at home such as playing math games and sharing real life math situations.

The school customarily loses some 6th-graders to the gifted middle-school programs at Scholar's Academy; because of its small size, the middle school at PS 47 rarely offers Regent's classes. Class size fluctuates quite a bit depending on the year. In 2014-2015, for example, there were only seven 6th-graders. There were only seven kids in each half-day pre-kindergarten class, as families opted for full-day pre-k elsewhere.

Special education: There is one small class for children with special needs. It started with kindergarten in 2014-2015 and will progress through the grades each year.

Admissions: Neighborhood school. Pre-kindergarten children may come from out-of-zone but the kindergarten tends to quickly fill with zoned students, according to the parent coordinator. (Lydie Raschka, phone interview and school data, November 2014)