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The Center School (M.S. 243)

Grades: 5-8
Staff Pick
100 West 84th Street
Manhattan NY 10024
Phone: 212-799-1477

Our Insights

What’s Special

Dedicated and experienced staff, mixed-level classes

The Downside

Demand far outweighs available seats

Center School is a tiny, offbeat gem where children can step off the hamster wheel of standardized testing during the middle school years. The tone inside is relaxed, happy and discordant at times, mirroring the frolicsome feel of adolescence. Children call out greetings to favorite teachers, cluster around red lockers or sit absorbed in a book. Like its founding principal, Elaine Schwartz, who is fiercely protective of teens being teens, the school has a clear progressive identity.

Children attend Center School four years beginning at the odd entry point of 5th grade. All ages are mixed together for science and social studies periods. We saw small groups comprised of 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders huddled around experiments in astronomy and anatomy classes. "The only place where people are artificially separated by age is the school system," Schwartz said, adding that we can learn from each other at any age. Math is divided into traditional age groupings, as is Latin, which children study for three years.

Democratic principles are modeled from the top. The principal's desk is in the computer room so she can be in frequent contact with students. Teachers mix and remix kids to guarantee they all get to know each other. Students help out in the main office, which is not off-limits to them. The year is divided into trimesters, and at the end of each, teachers write comments and children add their own notes, increasing their input throughout the year. Schwartz said, "We work towards independence all the time."

Students have special classes like theater and Latin for 2 1/2 hours per week for at least one trimester and there is a daily one-hour period for silent reading or academic help, such as one we saw in which kids worked on a self-paced computer math program with teachers checking in. The theater program is "not like anything you've ever seen," said an 8th grader, citing monologues, skits, songs and speeches.

Student achievement is high and teachers have flexibility in how they teach. Some teachers give tests and quizzes; some do not. Papers are corrected for grammar but grammar is not taught formally except in Latin. All 8th graders take Regents Algebra. In addition to typical middle school subjects, children rotate through "mini units," on debate, law, filmmaking, African dance, the constitution and more.

Two students said entering in 5th grade was an adjustment but they felt supported. One said it was tough getting used to the heavier workload; another said she had "to learn to put myself out there." Eighth grade assigned "buddies" check in before school begins. Every teacher is an advisor to 10 to 12 students. Students keep a journal that their advisor responds to regularly.

The school is increasingly serving a prosperous population; in the past decade, the proportion of children who qualify for free lunch has declined from 40 percent to 12 percent. At least one parent complained that a fund-raising event excluded parents who could not afford to attend.

Schwartz sees fundraising as a necessary evil to pay for things like the annual school trip. Fundraising "goes on and on," she said. "It's painful." About 60 children stay for a free after school program until 5 pm.

About half the students take the specialized high school test and teachers do prepare children for interviews and the test. "You're in good hands with that," said an 8th grader. LaGuardia, Bard, Beacon and Lehman are popular choices.

Schwartz helped found the school in 1982 and it is hard to imagine Center School surviving without her impassioned defense of its unique approach. Luckily, she vows never to retire, "until I die or can't walk," she said. "We like being here, all of us, the staff, the students, everyone."

SPECIAL EDUCATION: There is a small class for students with special needs only. Most students receiving special education services are included in regular classes and get one-on-one help during enrichment periods.

ADMISSIONS: Prospective students and parents visit the school for a half-day; their student escort and a teacher write an evaluation following the visit. Applicants are discussed in a faculty meeting, and qualified applicants are selected with an emphasis on balancing ability level, gender, race and ethnicity. Priority is given to siblings of current and former students. Approximately 350 students apply for 55 spots in 5th grade each year. (Lydie Raschka, January 2017)

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School Stats

Citywide Average Key
This school is Better Near Worse than the citywide average

Is this school safe and well-run?

From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey

How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
80%
78% Citywide Average
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
31%
58% Citywide Average
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
100%
84% Citywide Average

From the 2019-20 NY State Report Card

How many students were suspended?
0%
4% Citywide Average

From this school's most recent Quality Review Report

Are teachers effective?

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
71%
79% Citywide Average
Years of principal experience at this school
20.4

How do students perform academically?

From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database

How many elementary school students scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
84%
65% Citywide Average
How many elementary school students scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
73%
56% Citywide Average
How many middle school students scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
87%
46% Citywide Average
How many middle school students scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
87%
51% Citywide Average

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

How many 8th-graders earn high school credit?
82%
39% Citywide Average

Who does this school serve?

From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Enrollment
251
Asian
6%
Black
13%
Hispanic
15%
White
56%
Other
10%
Free or reduced priced lunch
20%
Students with disabilities
24%
English language learners
0%

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

Average daily attendance
95%
90% Citywide Average
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
9%
38% Citywide Average

From the 2020 School Directories

Uniforms required?
No

How does this school serve special populations?

From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database

How many students with disabilities scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
75%
41% Citywide Average
How many students with disabilities scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
42%
31% Citywide Average
How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
0%
15% Citywide Average


For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Contact & Location

Location

Upper West Side (District 3)
Trains: B Line, C Line to 81st St-Museum of Nat Hist; 1 Line, B Line, C Line to 86th St
Buses: BxM2, M10, M104, M11, M5, M7, M79, M86-SBS

Contact

Principal
John O'Reilly
Parent Coordinator
Annette Berkery

Other Details

Shared campus?
Yes
This school shares a building with PS 9
Uniforms required?
No
Metal detectors?
No

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