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Paula Hedbavny School (P.S./M.S. 278)

Grades: K-8
Staff Pick
421 W 219th St
Manhattan NY 10034
Phone: 917-521-2060

Our Insights

What’s Special

A high-performing traditional school with a sweet tone

The Downside

Kindergarten waitlist

PS 278 has a gentle, caring atmosphere and an emphasis on traditional manners and values--in some ways reminiscent of the parochial schools Principal Lillian Reyes attended as a child. There's a focus on basic skills such as handwriting, phonics, and the conventions of grammar. Children wear uniforms, and some of the classrooms have desks in rows.

This high-performing school, founded in 2004, has become increasingly popular, not only with Spanish-speaking families who have long lived in the neighborhood, but also with newcomers.

Reyes, who became principal in 2015, says the policy on uniforms "levels the playing field" between well-off and working-class children. The culture of the school encourages children to get along with one another. "There's no place for hate," she says. "Everyone values everyone else."

Children take trips around the city: the Holocaust Museum, the Hall of Science, or dance performances at the 92nd Street Y. Middle-school students may attend Broadway shows.

For reading, the school has adopted ReadyGen for grades K-5 and the Scholastic Codex for grades 6-8--both scripted programs recommended by the state when the Common Core learning standards were introduced.

Once a week, a schoolwide enrichment program offers children a chance to mingle and be creative. On one of our visits, we saw students create backgrounds for a puppet show, practice a song for a musical and build Eiffel towers out of clay.

All teachers in grades 2 through 6 have been trained in the Salvadori method, a hands-on method of teaching children about architecture using math and science. One year, students visited monuments before building monuments of their own related to their study of the Bill of Rights. In another year it was skyscrapers.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: There are several self-contained classrooms, as well as Special Education Teacher Support Services (SETSS). A reading specialist serves as a mentor and coach to classroom teachers.

ADMISSIONS: Zoned neighborhood school. Parents may tour in the fall. (Clara Hemphill, December 2015; updated August 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 students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
83%
80% Citywide Average
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
50%
56% Citywide Average
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
97%
78% 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?
97%
82% Citywide Average
Years of principal experience at this school
3.1

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?
44%
53% Citywide Average
How many elementary school students scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
40%
50% Citywide Average
How many middle school students scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
44%
52% Citywide Average
How many middle school students scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
58%
57% Citywide Average

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

How many 8th-graders earn high school credit?
24%
39% Citywide Average

Who does this school serve?

From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Enrollment
337
Asian
1%
Black
5%
Hispanic
78%
White
14%
Other
2%
Free or reduced priced lunch
71%
Students with disabilities
26%
English language learners
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?
35%
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?
25%
27% Citywide Average
How many students with disabilities scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
13%
21% Citywide Average
How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
24%
17% Citywide Average
How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
10%
12% Citywide Average


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

Contact & Location

Location

Inwood (District 6)
Trains: A Line to Inwood - 207th St; 1 Line to 215th St
Buses: Bx12, Bx12-SBS, Bx20, Bx3, Bx32, Bx7, Bx9, BxM1, BxM18, BxM2, BxM3, M100

Contact

Principal
Bryanna Velazquez
Parent Coordinator
Angelin Gonzalez

Other Details

Shared campus?
No
This school is in its own building.
Uniforms required?
No
Metal detectors?
No

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

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