Housed in a spacious, immaculate building constructed in the 1960s, PS 19 offers small classes and a good art program. It also boasts a nice mix of children of different ethnicities and nationalities including Arabs, Asians, Ukrainians, African-Americans, and Latinos. At least one mother brings her son from the Bronx each day and stays to work with the Parents Association. Parent volunteers read to children, help in the lunchroom, and keep an eye on the playground. The faculty is conscientious and enthusiastic, with some very traditional teachers as well as some more adventuresome ones. Test scores, while not the highest in the district, have increased in recent years. Still, PS 19 does stress tests, sometimes at the expense of the arts or other parts of the curriculum.

State senate hopeful, Daniel Squadron, served as principal for a day at PS 19 and, according to an... read more