UPDATE 2012: Longtime principal Fred Rubino died on April 2, not long after he left the school after being promoted to superintendent of District 14. The interim acting principal is Eric Windley, who was an assistant principal at IS 318.

2011 REVIEW: IS 318 is a large middle school with a small-school atmosphere: even with 1,600 students, teachers and administrators know each child by name. Students, in turn, appear to thrive in this appealing Williamsburg school.

The school day starts and ends early: 7:40 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. But every afternoon 400 to 500 students stay for three more hours to participate in activities including student government, dance, a robotics club and a popular homework-help session.

In some ways the school is old-fashioned. Desks are arranged in rows, and teachers often stand at the blackboard. Teachers were very strong across all grades and subjects, giving clear instructions and plenty of opportunities for students to raise questions, explain their thinking and work at the board. In all of the dozen-plus classrooms we observed, students were attentive, well-behaved and cheerful.

Children are grouped by ability, so high-achievers can do challenging coursework while struggling students get extra support and work in smaller classes to keep pace with their peers. One science teacher who works with special ed students says he can make the same amount of progress with a class of 12 students as a general ed class with 30 students.

Principal Fortunato “Fred” Rubino says the school’s philosophy boils down to a holistic approach to education. Students take rigorous English Language Arts, math, science and social studies courses, and scores are very strong overall. Advanced 8th graders take a variety of Regent’s courses, including life sciences and algebra, and the school has at least a 95 percent pass rate on each. Still, the soul of the school is in its shop classes that range from sewing, cooking and band to drama, guitar, dance and chess. The school has won national chess championships in the 6th^-, 7th^- and 8th-grade categories for the past several years. There is a full-time chess teacher, and we observed students playing chess throughout the day.

The school’s 8th-grade adviser works with families to identify the best high school for all students, and many go on to the specialized or performing-arts high schools.

Special Education: Rubino and three assistant principals are former special education teachers and take pride in IS 318’s robust special ed program. Students are mostly in self-contained classrooms but take shop classes with their peers. Well-trained and accomplished special ed teachers work closely with students to meet their individual needs.

Admissions: IS 318 is open to children in District 14. In recent years, it has received 1,500 applications for 500 6th-grade spots. Students are not picked on the basis of test scores, but on their commitment to work hard. Applicants must submit a report card and a teacher recommendation. (Tom Jacobs, February 2011)