With nearly 1,400 pupils, Wagner is the largest and most traditional middle school in District 2. The advantage of the size is the facilities and course offerings not available at a smaller school. The potential downside is the lack of individual attention for children - -and their parents. The administration strives to make the most of the school's many resources while minimizing the chance that students will get lost in the crowd.

The well-kept building, constructed in the 1950s, has two large gymnasiums and an auditorium, tennis courts, several music rooms and a studio in which children learn to make short animated films. Wagner has one of the largest music programs in the city, serving 400-500 students who take instrumental classes five times a week. About three-quarters of the students enrolled at Wagner are in "special progress" or honors classes. Of these, some take high school or Regents-level math and Earth Science.

Students in the "academic" track, as the general education classes are known, benefit from a smaller class size, with 26 or 27 students. (The SP classes have as many as 34 students.)

While the school is large, the administration has taken steps to make it feel smaller. In the 6th grade, students have "humanities," combining English and social studies, for 90 minutes a day. Each teacher has only two humanities classes, so teachers get a chance to know students better. Students are organized into "houses," with all their classes near one another, so when children move from class to class they move a few doors down rather than halfway across the building. There are three assistant principals, one for each grade, who follow the students from 6th grade through graduation. These assistant principals seem to connect well with kids, and seem to know nearly all the names of students in their grade. In addition, the school's guidance counselors follow the children from 6th grade through 8th grade, when they help them apply to high school.

Jennifer Rehn, a well-regarded assistant principal who was named principal in 2004, has worked hard to improve communication between parents and the administration in a school where both parents and students have sometimes felt disconnected in the past. Rehn attends PTA meetings, and invites parents to monthly "coffee hours" in the morning. More than 700 parents are signed up for an e-mail listserve, and the school has a potluck dinner and a "curriculum night" for parents to meet teachers. Teachers are encouraged to give students their e-mail addresses. Rehn has addressed complaints of bullying by encouraging parents to contact her or their child's teacher if problems occur. She has asked her assistant principals to closely supervise hallways, playgrounds, and streets near the school at lunchtime and dismissal. She has worked with the dean and the guidance counselors to draw up "bullying contracts" for children in each class to sign. Parents say the administration has become significantly more accessible and these steps have improved the atmosphere of the school.

"The culture has definitely changed," said PTA president Sherry D'Angelo.

Wagner prides itself on the number of graduates who are admitted to the specialized high schools such as Stuyvesant and Bronx Science, and on the number of music students who are admitted to LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and the Performing Arts. A large number of graduates also attend Eleanor Roosevelt High School, just two blocks away.

Special education: The school has extensive special education services, including services for the hearing impaired, "self-contained" classes for children with special needs only, and "collaborative team teaching" or CTT classes. The CTT classes have two teachers, one of whom is certified in special education, and a mix of children in general education and those with special needs.

After school: There is a free after school program, paid for by the PTA. Teams include volleyball, wrestling, flag football, tennis, and basketball.

Admissions: A zoned neighborhood school, Wagner accepts any student who lives on the East Side between 59th Street and 97th Street. Wagner also accepts a certain number of students from outside the zone and, occasionally, from outside the district. Tours are offered in the fall. Children applying for the "special progress" program must have reading and math scores at approximately level 4 (the highest level) on the 4th-grade standardized reading and math tests. Cut-off scores vary from year to year. This school is featured in New York City's Best Public Middle Schools. (Clara Hemphill, October 2005)

"If you are coming to Wagner Middle School for the music program beware of the system that is in place. The incoming sixth grade music class has only 5 classes of 33 students each, and one of those classes is put aside for students with only 1 or 2 on their state test score. That leaves 132 spots for a very large school. The admission for students wishing to continue or start their music education is purely by lottery. Let me make this clear, the principal Jennifer Rehn makes no allowances for experience at all. My son has two years of middle school music experience with performances and lots of hard work and he was shut out of the program. When I spoke to Jennifer today I was told that students at elementary schools were only tested for "Tone Deafness". What this sets up is circumstance where a child that has little interest or drive, and who might have had previous opportunities for music at the elementary school level are favored over students with experience."

Replying to the comment below, parent Susan Carr writes, "I have been very impressed with the responsiveness of the administration in attempting to keep parents well aware of various issues concerning the school. The school sends promptly e-mail and letters to families announcing and notifying them of major issues, including the new position awarded to the Assistant 7th Grade Principal, George Morgan. The administration is also very solicitous of parent input through its SLT committee and PA meetings. I have been very impressed with the administration's ability to manage well a school of 1400 mid-schoolers."

 "As far as the standardized test scores," this parent continues, "I found myself concerned that my child was not receiving sufficient practice for the ELA and Math exams. Homework focused on other substantive educational activities. In prep for both exams, staff presented information and guidance to families on how they could assist their children to prepare for the exams at PTA meeting, as well as gave up two Saturday mornings to offer special prep sessions prior to both the ELA and Math statewide exams... I am very proud that my daughter has the privilege of attending this very special school." (March 2006

"There were out-of-control kids running in the halls and cursing all the time," writes a parent, referring to her child's 6th grade year. "There was very little discipline in the classes. For one honors-level class the kids sat in the back and did their nails. Toward the end of the year another child, who she did not know, came up to her and slapped her hard across the face and neck. We moved her to another school for 7th grade. I've heard some kids have a positive experience. It depends on which class you are assigned." (October 2005)

The principal did not respond to the above comment. (October 2005)

Victoria, a student, writes: "I'm really happy with Wagner. I believe that the school has a really strong curriculum. Also it has a strict behavior policy, which isn't that big of a problem." She complains that the school is very cliquish, but notes that this is a reason not to listen to rumors about students at the school: " You can't base your choice on whether or not to come to the school because you heard about a couple of students from the school did something bad, because not every student socializes with another." (July 2004)

A student writes that he "hated Wagner" because "the students there were very uptight. If you get in the 80s they will tease you and call you names." He also claims that his teachers were "bossy" and writes that although the school had a good music program, some students got more attention than others. (July 2004)

A parent complains that Wagner is "overwhelmed and disorganized" and suffers from poor communication between parents and administrators. Although "some teachers were decent and the guidance counselor was great," this mother was disappointed that her son was unable to take French -- because there was no French teacher -- and wasn't accepted in the music program. (January 2004)