Ps 159

205-01 33RD AVE

School District

New York City Geographic District #26
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
Type

public

School Map for New York City Geographic District #26

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on September 22, 2023

Principal Didio did nothing for my kid who got bullied and stated that he cannot ensure the safety of the children 24/7. Terrible principal, does not care about kids or parents. Please choose a different school if you can
Submitted by parent on December 16, 2022

Administration turned a blind eye to the way teacher treated students and didn’t move quick to rectify bullying. If you want a warm environment, this is not the school for that.
Submitted by other on September 09, 2020

I have been at 159 for 4 years and everyone in the school respects you
Submitted by parent on November 22, 2019

Teachers seem to make mountains out of mole hills, arbitrary signs are interpreted to be indications of serious mental illness even going as far to suggest that external evaluation is required. Some teachers will even go as far to extract "confessions" from your child getting them to "admit" to things that the teachers have completely fabricated rather than understand students may not want to interact with adults who had continuously embarrassed them. My advice to parents is to communicate with your child and take notice of anything teachers might do to make them uncomfortable as other reviewers have mentioned similar problems with teachers.My advice to teachers is to avoid public humiliation tactics and watch how children will be eager to participate in activities.
Submitted by other on April 17, 2019

10 out of 10. It was best school in my life.
Submitted by other on September 19, 2016

Be careful sending your child to this school!As a previous student I have seen firsthand how this school treats its students. Keep in mind I am not disgruntled but speaking up for the students and parents who had these injustices happen to them and didn't understand what was going on There seems to be a hidden quota system put in place by Marlene Zucker to pick out seemingly random students and place them in special education in order for the school to keep a high rating. Some teachers will nitpick and relentlessly pursuit the destruction of a student's academic career going as far as demanding external evaluation tests (happened to my friend), detailing any annoyance with a student however minor (such as picking up crayon while the teacher is talking) as evidence of problematic behaviour (happened to me), humiliating students in front of the whole class (happened all the time to multiple students), requesting to talk to tutors and then giving them negative evaluations of a student (happened to my brother), and forcing mental illness diagnoses such as anxiety or depression from a school approved doctor in order to put a child in special needs classes (happened to another friend). It doesn't help that the school's staff is incredibly uniform (at least when I enrolled in 2004), and consists of mostly all-american white teachers who do not know how to deal with children that do not speak fluent english, or parents with english as a second language. It looks even worse when the special needs classes consist of mostly minority students or first generation students. In short, if you are contacted by a teacher from this school about troublesome behaviour your child may be exhibiting, beware of the pitfall the school and teacher may lead you down as this is not an uncommon complaint against this school and has ruined future academic performance of many students as the whole experience of attempting to remedy negative feedback impacts any interest a student may have in academia. If you are a parent who is currently going through this, my best advice is find other parents going through similar situations and to propose a class action lawsuit or to simply transfer your child to another school and attempt to explain away the negative feedback that will hopefully not follow them throughout the remainder of their academic career.
Submitted by parent on June 23, 2014

My daughter attends this school and I have nothing but good things to say about this school! Blue Ribbon school!
Submitted by other on April 02, 2014

the best in the district. Grandchild is a fifth grader and I know she and her family will feel badly when graduation day arrives. Mr. DiDio is a great leader!
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2014

The staff are kind and pleasant and there are some excellent teachers, especially in the lower grades (PK-1). But the school itself is overly reliant on test prep beginning in the testing grades , and really suffers when it comes to helping special needs students succeed. The PTA meetings are well- attended, but the principal dismisses most parent suggestions .