Ronald Edmonds Learning Center II

Modeled on the Fort Greene middle school of the same name, Ronald Edmonds Learning Center II is dedicated to education as a “social justice issue” where teachers work to make the curriculum responsive to children’s unique cultures, according to the middle school directory.

Although many children enter with weak academic skills, they make better-than-average progress while in middle school, according to city data. Michele Luard, principal since 2013, gets high marks from parents and teachers on school surveys. Students and teachers agree the school is safe and teachers overwhelmingly recommend the school to prospective parents.

This tiny school, on the edge of Crown Heights and Ocean Hill-Brownsville, serves many children in temporary housing and a significant number have family responsibilities that lead them to be frequently absent from school, according to the Comprehensive Educational Plan. The school works to ensure that homeless children are not stigmatized, and offers them free school uniforms, school supplies, food, and a quiet place to study.

Opened in 2005, Ronald Edmonds Learning Center II, also known as MS 484, shares a building with PS 12.

Admissions: District 17 choice. (May, 2019)