I.S. 181 Pablo Casals

MS 181 Pablo Casals is a well-run middle school in the north Bronx that does a increasingly good job meeting the needs of students with a wide range of academic abilities—from top scorers on state exams to those reading several years below grade level. 

High-achievers with good attendance are placed in an honors track in 6th grade but students who blossom during middle school may also shift into this track. 

Teachers at MS 181 are effective, happy, and serious about maintaining classroom discipline according to city surveys and reports. Teachers overwhelming recommend the school to other families. 

Chris Warnock has worked with staff to improve instruction for all students since he became principal in 2006. The yearly plan outlines smart, detailed plans for teacher improvement. MS 181 stays closely connected to parents, using the city’s web portal. Students and parents may contact teachers directly from the site and teachers post their unit expectations, homework assignments and extra help pages daily, the website says. 

Warnock has forged a partnership with Truman High School’s culinary program, and his staff adopted the Middle School Quality Initiative, a structured approach to literacy, to increase the numbers of children reading at or above grade level. 

The school makes special efforts to celebrate successes such as perfect attendance, excellent citizenship and good grades. A “zero period” is a flexible portion of the school day that allows students to rotate to specific instructors to get the help they need.

MS 181 offers visual arts all three years, and some music, but theater and dance are limited. The Arts in Schools report says MS 181 does not meet suggested requirements for middle school arts programming. A step in the right direction is a new music technology lab equipped with Mac desktops for each students for music appreciation courses.

MS 181 is one of several schools built in the 1970s as part of a large campus dominated by Harry S Truman High School. MS 181 connects to Truman via a tunnel, and the middle school students use the high school's auditorium, gym and outdoor athletic fields. PS 176, a District 75 school, serving children with severe disabilities is housed on the third floor of MS 181. Bronx Health Sciences, MS 180 and PS 153 also share the campus. The schools sit on the edge of Co-op City, far from subway lines.

Special education: The school has two small “self-contained” classes for students with severe disabilities, and team-teaching classes on each grade level. These mix a small number of students with special needs in team-teaching classes with their general education peers. All special education teacher teams are considered “masters” of their content and teach only one subject, such as math or history. 

Admissions: MS 181 is a zoned neighborhood school. The honors program considers grades and attendance. It is open to students and residents of District 11. (Lydie Raschka, web reports, February 2019)