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PS 513 Castle Bridge School

Grades: Pre-K, K-5
Staff Pick
560 West 169 Street
Manhattan NY 10032
Phone: 212-740-4701

Our Insights

What’s Special

Dual language school founded by experienced progressive educator

The Downside

Not a good fit for families who prefer traditional instruction

Castle Bridge is a nurturing place where kids explore, construct, sew, make snacks, take care of class pets, ice skate and swim. Patterned after progressive Central Park East I in East Harlem, children are encouraged to read books they choose themselves and to speak as much as they listen.

The entire school offers dual language instruction in English and Spanish. In the lower grades, teachers spend half the day speaking English to their students and half speaking Spanish. In the older grades, teachers alternate Spanish and English days. The goal is to teach children to read, write and speak fluently in both languages.

Classes combine two grades; kids stay with the same teacher, in the same classroom, for two years. Instead of report cards, teachers write multiple-page "narratives" for each child twice a year.

Children make decisions about what they want to study to an unusual degree. During a daily "project time," they choose from a menu that may include blocks, construction or dress-up in the younger grades. Two children from each class take turns preparing snacks in the kitchen during this time, such as pancakes, or asparagus with garlic butter.

Projects in grades 3-5 last longer and must be accompanied by a plan. Third- and 4th-graders made longhouses, baskets and other artifacts for their Native American unit. Projects do not always follow a theme; 2nd- and 3rd-graders interested in fashion bought fabric and made clothing for a spring show.

Project time is not a free-for-all by any means. Teachers watch carefully and invite a child to try an unexplored area of the room if they feel he or she would benefit. A kindergartner new to the block area persistently and unsuccessfully tried to stand skinny blocks on end to support a building. The teacher wanted her to practice, she said, because block-building can build a foundation for success in math in the older grades.

Principal Julie Zuckerman, formerly principal of Central Park East I, believes playtime is crucial to learning. She even participates in daily gym class, acting as both referee and playmate as her kids let off steam and run around. She keeps five warm coats in her office in case anyone needs one for daily outdoor recess in the winter.

Pre-k children nap after lunch with optional teddy bears and even kindergartners and 1st-graders get to enjoy some down time, during which some fall asleep, a rare respite in today's push-down academic culture.

Children practice being in front of a group during weekly recitals, to which parents are invited. They may sing a song, tell a joke, recite a poem, play an instrument or tell a story. It helps the kids get to know each other better, and learn to speak up, said Zuckerman.

Parent involvement is strong. Families join students in a weekly school-wide sing-a-long, for which the principal plays guitar. They are invited to accompany kids on their weekly ice-skating sessions in Central Park.

Zuckerman said the school is very popular with middle class families. Yet she is just as pleased when local, working class parents find it, such as the bus driver who returned to inquire about it for his child, after driving students on a field trip.

Opened in 2012, Castle Bridge shares space with PS 128 Audubon, close to the 168th Street A, C and 1 subway stop and across the street from New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: Children with disabilities are included in all school activities. Starting in kindergarten, every classroom has two teachers, at least one of whom is certified to teach special education or English as a new language.

ADMISSIONS: Tours are held in the evening to avoid disrupting children as they work, except for families from local Head Start programs, who are invited to tour during the school day. English-dominant kids are not accepted after 1st grade. The school was one of several across the city selected to pilot admissions policies aimed at maintaining economic diversity. Beginning in 2016, Castle Bridge will reserve a portion of its seats for students from low-income families, in the child welfare system, or who have a parent in prison. (Lydie Raschka, January 2016)

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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?
100%
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?
91%
84% Citywide Average
Years of principal experience at this school
0.9

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?
52%
53% Citywide Average
How many elementary school students scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
46%
50% Citywide Average

What is the Pre-K like?

From the NYC Program Assessment (CLASS and ECERS-R) Database through 2019-2020

Instruction: Teachers ask kids to explain their reasoning when they solve problems
Activities: Children explore art, music, sand/water, dramatic play and more
Language: Teachers talk and listen to kids in a supportive way
Interaction: Teachers ask kids good questions and invite back-and-forth conversation

Who does this school serve?

From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Enrollment
197
Asian
2%
Black
4%
Hispanic
71%
White
19%
Other
4%
Free or reduced priced lunch
63%
Students with disabilities
34%
English language learners
26%
Pre-K seats
18

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

Average daily attendance
91%
90% Citywide Average
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
38%
40% Citywide Average

From the 2020 School Directories

This school offers Dual Language classes in Spanish.

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?
0%
30% Citywide Average
How many students with disabilities scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
0%
23% Citywide Average
How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
0%
21% Citywide Average
How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
0%
12% Citywide Average


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

Contact & Location

Location

Washington Heights (District 6)
Trains: 1 Line, A Line, C Line to 168th St - Washington Hts
Buses: Bx13, Bx7, M100, M101, M2, M3, M4, M5, M98

Contact

Principal
David Rosas
Parent Coordinator
Crystal Williams

Other Details

Shared campus?
Yes
This school shares the building with PS 128 Audubon
Metal detectors?
No

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