Small class size, a welcoming attitude toward parents, and a young and energetic staff make PS 40 both lively and manageable. Parents give Principal Susan Felder high marks for her willingness to meet with them and for spending enough time in the classrooms that she gets to know each child. Teachers speak to children in a quiet, respectful way, and the children respond in kind. It's a school in which both the kids and the grown-ups seem happy to be there. "It's a cohesive staff," said Felder. "The teachers go to Broadway shows together, have dinner together, go away on weekends together." Teachers at PS 40 have a passion for teaching writing, which shows in the quality of children's work.

I loved this place so much. The teachers were always really helpful, and always gave me, an overachiever, extra work so that I wouldn't have to be bored to death by homework that felt easy. They... read more