If making decisions about New York City public schools was anything like looking for real estate, I’d be ready to buy into the New York Harbor School right now, before the crowds arrive.

(Come to think of it, I wish they were actually selling houses or apartments on Governors Island with those stunning skyline, water and Lady Liberty views)

Of course, I’m not the one who has to go to high school next year, as I keep reminding my 13-year-old. If I was, though, it’s hard to imagine not being impressed by what is happening at the Harbor School, which just celebrated its move from the Bushwick neighborhood in Brooklyn to its stellar new home.

How many high school tours will take you past fish tanks, oyster silos and organic gardens redolent of fresh basil?

“Pretty amazing,’’ the kids on our well attended tour this week acknowledged. <!--more--> They weren't even mumbling, and actually looked awake -- not always easy when you are visiting a dozen schools or more.

Then again, how many high schools offer scuba certification and a chance to build boats and sail schooners?  The curriculum includes studies of the very same harbor surrounding the school's stately brick buildings, which from a distance could pass for college dormitories, sans Ivy.

The kind of hands-on, get wet and dirty and dive-right-in curriculum we heard about on the tour sounded fascinating – and fun.

When our tour ended and we boarded the ferry in brilliant mid-morning sunshine back to lower Manhattan, I didn’t want to leave. I also felt like giving co-founders Murray Fisher and Richard Kahan a standing ovation for executing a brilliant vision – even if it remains a work in progress.

Considering the Harbor School, though, requires weighing a whole lot of pros and cons, as Nate Dudley, the enthusiastic and passionate principal, readily acknowledged on the tour. The first clue is the card with his contact information. It posts the Governor’s Island ferry schedule on the back. At varying times of the day, the one ferry to lower Manhattan comes and goes sporadically.

And the last one always leaves the island at 6 p.m.

Someone asked if there were overnight accommodations just in case, and the crowd laughed. But I also found out that any student who misses the first ferry to school has to wait another hour in the Battery Maritime Terminal for the next.

I started thinking about all the missed alarm clocks and the left behind folders, textbooks, novels, planners, lunches, homework, Metrocards, soccer uniforms and musical equipment that from time to time gets forgotten on school days in our household. Catching a ferry leaves no margin for error, from personal forgetfulness to subway and bus mishaps.

Once over the ferry hurdle (on the plus side, the tight schedule could force new organizational skills)  questions remain about the academics of a new high school, even with all the exciting hands-on lessons and fearless field trips. (There is no bad weather, just bad clothing, one teacher told us; another who was preparing for a field trip warned us it’s not the place for anyone who doesn’t want to get wet and dirty)

Dudley was clear that the school’s focus, in addition to teaching career and technical skills that will lead to actual paying jobs, is getting students to go to college, even though many of their parents have not. He described the impressive scholarships last year’s class received and how the graduation rate has tripled in three years.

“The bottom line is academic achievement,’’ he said. “We can do all the scuba we want…but our goal is for all our students to get a four-year college degree.”

Dudley was also honest about what else the school must do to achieve academic greatness, and to match offerings students might see on other tours. For example, the only language taught right now is Spanish, and the rest of the language program isn’t well developed. There aren’t enough advanced placement courses or after school programs yet.  The school lacks a gym and a pool, a big issue since all freshmen are required to take swimming lessons.

The career and technical education program has to be better connected to the academics, music and drama are lacking and many sports, including soccer, don’t yet exist. (although there is a rowing team). Nothing about the school feels traditional, even though students will be required to take the same Regents exams and meet the same graduation requirements as all New York City public school students.

One big plus, I thought, was the intimate feeling of the school. The staff clearly know all the students by name. They are tremendously excited to be in their new home, and working hard to put all the pieces together to make The Harbor School a coveted high school in the years to come – as it clearly will. It’s going to be exciting to watch.

Students who choose The Harbor School and are lucky enough to get in will be making history, Dudley noted on the tour.

“For the students, this is a transformative experience,’’ he said.

Insideschools would love to hear impressions of the tour and the school, and especially to hear from parents and students already there about their experiences. Any thoughts on taking a chance on new schools?