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P.S. 255 Barbara Reing School

Grades: K-5
Staff Pick
1866 East 17 Street
Brooklyn NY 11229
Phone: 718-376-8494

Our Insights

What’s Special

Excellent resources; positive, safe atmosphere

The Downside

Parent involvement is lacking, according to annual school survey

PS 255 is a traditional, neighborhood school in Sheepshead Bay. Over 37 languages are represented in the student population. Many students are third-generation attendees, new immigrants are welcomed, and resources ranging from a dentist to computer labs are available for children. Academics are solid and the school is safe and welcoming. Parents recommend the school, but attendance at school meetings is below average for the city, according to the school survey.

Names of students with perfect attendance gleam through a glass case, and recipients of student-of-the-month awards are honored in a ceremony wearing a silky blue sash. The school encourages parents to participate both as volunteers and as guests at family nights, when the school sponsors games and educational activities.

The website lists many arts activities and outings. Children visit the Guggenheim Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of the American Indian, and many more. Kindergarten through 2nd-grade students visit art studios in the art department at Kingsborough Community College to see first-hand where an artist works. They also keep art journals. Parents are invited to special craft nights and art workshops tied to literacy. Children may participate in chorus, theater or dance; some have won prizes in dance competitions. Two full-time music teachers offer instruction in piano, flute, violin, clarinet or recorder.

PS 255 offers one full-day and two half-day pre-k classrooms, plus one that serves general and special education children together in one room. Children who qualify for this program may be either 3 or 4 years of age (these are the only 3-year-olds who may be served in a Universal Pre-Kindergarten program). This special class is called UPK Plus.

Principal Kelly McCann was previously a teacher and literacy and math coach. She became principal in 2013.

Special education: Some children receive help in a regular classroom. Others are assigned to an integrated co-teaching (ICT) class, in which two teachers, one of whom is certified in special education, work as a team with a mix of children in general education and those with special needs. Self-contained classes serve children with more serious disabilities. This school also hosts an ASD Nest Program for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Students with ASDs learn in a classroom alongside typically developing children, taught by two teachers who have been trained in the program's specialized curriculum. Physical education classes are adapted for children with special needs.

Admissions: Neighborhood school.(Lydie Raschka, web reports and school data, August 2014)

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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 teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
80%
82% Citywide Average

From the 2019-20 NY State Report Card

How many students were suspended?
0%
1% 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?
89%
84% Citywide Average
Years of principal experience at this school
9.1

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?
61%
53% Citywide Average
How many elementary school students scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
51%
50% Citywide Average

Who does this school serve?

From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Enrollment
803
Asian
29%
Black
3%
Hispanic
11%
White
55%
Other
2%
Free or reduced priced lunch
80%
Students with disabilities
16%
English language learners
33%

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

Average daily attendance
90%
90% Citywide Average
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
36%
40% Citywide Average

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?
41%
30% Citywide Average
How many students with disabilities scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
24%
23% Citywide Average
How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
34%
21% Citywide Average
How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
9%
12% Citywide Average


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

Contact & Location

Location

Sheepshead Bay (District 22)
Trains: B Line, Q Line to Kings Highway
Buses: B100, B2, B3, B31, B49, B68, B7, B82, BM3

Contact

Principal
Kelly Mccann

Other Details

Shared campus?
No
This school is in its own building.

Zone for the 2019-2020 school year. Call school to confirm.

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