M.S. X101 Edward R. Byrne

Located in a pleasant residential neighborhood in Throgs Neck, MS 101 attracts children from across District 8. It offers accelerated academics for children in the gifted program as well as intensive reading help for children who need it.

One parent praised the “challenging but appropriate curriculum” and “incredible musical theater production” but complained that there are no lockers—so students must carry their books and coats from class to class—and that lunch for 6th graders is early at 10:30 a.m.

For top students, the school offers a demanding curriculum that includes Regents-level Earth Science and algebra in the 8th grade; some students also take English and Spanish Regents. MS 101 has joined the Middle School Quality Initiative (MSQI) designed to offer struggling readers special instruction in small groups. Jared Rosoff, former assistant principal of the citywide gifted school, NEST+m, in Manhattan, has been principal since 2012. 

The school shares a building with PS 304 and PS 10, a school for children with severe disabilities. There seems to be a nice rapport among the schools: MS 101’s Twitter feed shows middle school students reading with children in the other schools and helping them make paper flowers and valentines.

MS 101 has a good record of sending graduates to top high schools, including Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics and Bronx High School of Science.

Special education: The school offers a range of special education services including self-contained and team-teaching classes. A few students from the District 75 school in the building, PS 10, are integrated into regular classes.

Admissions: The “gifted and talented” program is open to students from anywhere in District 8; admission is based on a child’s 4th grade report card, test scores and attendance. Students for the academic program are chosen at random from those who live in the attendance zones for PS 14, PS 71, PS 72, and PS 304. (Clara Hemphill, web reports, February 2019)