Berkeley Carroll School

181 Lincoln Place

Brooklyn, NY 11217

21 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 24, 2021

My daughter has been at Berkeley Carroll for 2 years now. Having gone to a rigorous private school on the Upper East Side myself, I hold high standards for her education. I've been impressed with the school thus far. It is challenging yet engaging. It is also the right balance of both traditional and progressive. My daughter is happy to go to school every morning and returns home excited.
Submitted by parent on June 17, 2020

My family has been at the school for 5 years. I have kids at lower, middle and high school level with one daughter who graduated last year. BC is a warm, empathic and inclusive school with strong commitment to deep learning. This is not a school where memorization reigns, but instead kids are taught to think, synthesize knowledge and support/challenge their opinions. The humanities curriculum at Middle and High School levels is interdisciplinary and incredible. The science curriculum in high school is also particularly impressive. My family has moved a lot and been at many different schools (abroad and in the US). BC has impressed me at every level, but the most striking feature has been the skill of the master teachers and depth/uniqueness of curriculum across subjects.
Submitted by other on April 25, 2020

Not worth the money at all. Go somewhere else.
Submitted by parent on January 04, 2018

My Middle School son is thriving academically at Berkeley Carroll! The social side is good, too! We send him to BC because of the excellent academic program! I particularly love the humanities program because it is teaching my son critical thinking and excellent writing skills. In this class, he learns about different cultures, social issues, even neuroplasticity. I know that my son’s horizons are being expanded and enlightened!
Submitted by parent on November 07, 2017

Both of our kids have had a great experience in the lower school. Our older one is in 4th grade, and the level of academics in this year's program pushes him in the right direction for the next level in the middle school. We love that the teachers think ahead to what is expected of him for the next year.
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2017

Overall great experience. Very interdisciplinary approach that challenges kids to think deeply about all of the topics they study.
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2017

Love this school for my two daughters! What an amazing place. BC encourages students to explore their interests in a warm, supportive yet rigorous environment. Fantastic teachers who really care and know their stuff. The school cares about the total student - and it shows.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2017

My husband and I have chosen, after really researching the different local (and not so local) independent and public school options, to enroll all three of our children at this school. Each child is quite different, yet we find that each has found an academic home, a social community, and tremendous support for the specific things they love (as well as the things they don't as readily). The teachers at BC really get to know the children and understand them as individuals. I've been impressed by the depth of their understanding of each of my kids' abilities and challenges, as well as how they interact within a group. The student-teacher ratio (around 19 kids to 2 teachers) allows for this individualized understanding in the lower school, but somehow doesn't drop off in the middle school when there's just one teacher per classroom. The lower school curriculum challenges students to become well-rounded and to work hard at math, writing, science, Spanish, art, music, phys ed, swimming, and computer science. In addition to solid academic fundamentals, I love that my kids have learned to swim at school, learn Spanish starting in the lower school, learn typing and coding in class, and are taught within the context of the Responsive Classroom model, which puts the social environment of the classroom front and center. While I have found that my children were pushed and encouraged in their strengths even in the lower school (with teachers giving additional, more challenging work and/or assigning a teaching/mentoring role when my child was beyond what the rest of the class was doing), In the middle school, academics really take off. In addition to compelling electives and award-winning debate teams and musical ensembles, students dive deep into big subjects--Egypt, Islam, the world water crisis, Civil Rights, the election, world geography--and come out with tremendous awareness and insight. The Spanish curriculum emphasizes developing conversational fluency, rather than drilling conjugations (although those are necessarily explored, too). The math program is based on the premise that if kids understand how numbers relate to each other, they will have keys to all levels of math in the future, which I have found to be brilliant. Their STEAM (STEM+Art) program is always growing and stretching with new developments. We really couldn't be happier with this school.
Submitted by parent on February 12, 2017

The Berkeley Carroll School matches our family values strongly. We believe in their integrative and collaborative model of learning, with a focus on the application of knowledge. BC is innovative around its approach to traditional academics, new technologies, coding, engineering, the arts and the partial Spanish emersion program (starting at pre-k!). At the lower school, at least one teacher (of the two teachers in every class) speaks Spanish fluently and integrates it throughout each lesson. The ever growing diversity mission centered around change, not lip service, helps creates a school culture that welcomes us all. Teacher and school culture morale is high. As a two dad, bi racial couple with an "eager to learn" almost eight year old girl, we find her academic, social, humanistic views on the world being shaped in the most innovative and progressive ways. BC is a school that allows for as much parental involvement as you would like to offer. The door is wide open. The culture embraces all family structures. As we always say, "Berkeley Carroll makes parenting easier" --helping us develop an academically bright, socially mindful and progressively conscious child that is able to think critically outside herself. It's a global, ethical and innovative education at its' best, always asking itself "how can we do even better?" Heading into our fifth year at BC, we look forward to how our daughter will continue to become a intelligent, strong and kind person in our ever-changing world.
Submitted by parent on January 23, 2017

My two children have been at Berkeley Carroll for 8 years and have thrived. We chose the school because of the small class size, student to teacher ratio and the warmth of the school community. At all levels we have been more and more impressed with the academic rigor and the way the school has challenged our children at the level that was right for them. Our kids come home excited to talk about their classes and the discussions they have in class with classmates and teachers alike. The school's administration and faculty provide a stimulating and demanding, dynamic environment that is at the forefront of innovation. The school "inspires critical, ethical and global thinking" and we see that in our children and their school peers. We are excited to see where our children go from the strong foundation they have built through their work at Berkeley Carroll.
Submitted by parent on January 04, 2017

My daughter's formative years were spent here at this fabulous school. It's outstanding faculty and curriculum engage and prepare students for whatever they wish to accomplish. Highly recommend.
Submitted by parent on December 12, 2016

Our experience at Berkeley Carroll beginning in Pre-K through 12th grade has been excellent. It's a great community that both challenges and supports the students. The innovative curriculum and amazing teachers inspire the kids to reach for more.
Submitted by parent on December 08, 2016

Berkeley Carroll truly is an intellectual community. From the lower school through the upper school (my kids are currently in the middle school having come from the lower school), they have been challenged and supported in their intellectual endeavors. I’m proud of the students that they have become and know that it's because the individualized attention and care from a series of wonderful teachers they have had at Berkeley Carroll.
Submitted by parent on November 18, 2016

We love Berkeley Carroll! My children started in preK and have gone all the way through to high school. The oldest is a recent graduate, now at a highly selective college. Berkeley Carroll combines real academic rigor and an innovative curriculum with a welcoming culture of support and respect that I think is unique among New York City's independent schools. Each of my boys is known and appreciated as an individual. They have been challenged in the best sense of the word, but also feel totally at home in school.
Submitted by parent on October 08, 2016

My twin sons have been there since kindergarten. They are in the ninth grade now. I wouldn't send them anywhere else. The classes are rigorous; the teachers understanding, and (most of all) the environment is rigorous and supportive. Also, the technology program is unmatched as far as I can tell.
Submitted by other on February 16, 2016

The administration in the lower school has changed 3 times in the 5 years we have been there, in addition to that the price tag has increased substantially. In my experience if your child does not fit the mold they do everything to try and make your child fit. The teachers continue to make poor judgement with situations. There also has been an increased activity of teasing and bullying which I believe is due to the lack of experience and supervisions of the teachers.
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2014

Our family has been very happy with the Berkeley Carroll Middle and Lower School (but especially with the Middle!) We have found that the administration and teaching staff are constantly seeking to renew and enhance the curriculum. Every year we have seen improvements in math, language, humanities, etc. They have award an winning jazz band, debate team, and base ball team. The field trips, international trips, study aboard, and emphasis on being a global citizen are extremely relevant for the times that we live in. BC places great emphasis on developing thoughtful, caring students. Like many schools, BC has a renewed focus on STEM with the added component of Arts so its STEAM. Educating good writers is also extremely important, and, in fact, BC, has a large parent body of professional writers. The school does a lot of faculty development and as a parent you can see that the teachers are enthusiastic about incorporating the newest curriculums and technology. (BC's iPad program is in its 3rd year and partial spanish immersion is in its 2nd or 3rd year.) I am looking forward to seeing how this school continues to evolve and what it has to offer by the time we get to high school.
Submitted by parent on August 18, 2014

My daughter attended Kindergarten for one year until I pulled her out. I was astounded by how little was accomplished in the classroom. I was under the impression that this school could individualize the lessons. My daughter, who was already reading, spent most of her time reading in the corner alone while instruction was given to other students. At the year-end, parent teacher conference, I was embarrassed for the teachers when they showed me what little work they had of my daughter's work. Usually, schools put their best foot forward in kindergarten and as you move up, the quality of work starts to get less impressive. Not here. It is pervasive. Look at the work posted by 4th graders! I found them rife with poor grammar and misspellings, not to mention poor writing. Save your money.
Submitted by teacher on August 05, 2014

I worked at BC This is a school that is putting on a serious front just for show. As a teacher there, I assure you your children are not getting the enrichment and/or academic support you THINK they are getting. parents are talked AT during conferences. Benchmark math assessments WERE NEVER performed with any accuracy (these are important data for any teacher to have to know HOW and in what direction to teach lessons as well as make connections/extensions. Instead, I often saw clearly inexperienced LEAD teachers performing the test with not much comprehension on the purpose of the test) most of the K and 1 teachers have no true understanding of the guided reading program: the kids either read a book together without must discussion or just sat and "looked" at books for 45 min.I don't know what has happened to this school since 2008, but the new lower school admin has been transitioned 3 different times in the last 5 years...Save your money, and do more research.I will say, the "work environment" was ok, very laid back. Most people wear jeans to work and have time to travel around the world.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2014

mediocre school, ridiculous price tag for mediocrity in students, staff and programs. In several years NO students even accepted to any Ivy League universities.