The Gateway School

211 West 61st Street

New York, NY 10023

21 Reviews

School District
Grade

K
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 30, 2023

My child is thriving at Gateway! This school has changed every aspect of our family's life. There are fewer tears and more excitement and hope. We recently joined their Giving campaign and discovered other ways to contribute besides giving, and writing this is one of them. I want parents to know that there is hope for their children who have attention deficits or any other special learning needs. Thank you, Gateway teachers!
Submitted by parent on November 29, 2023

Horrible experience for my son at this school. Just today, my son brought up experiences from three years ago where they totally mistreated him. No regulations by the state as to how things are handled. Such a disappointing experience.
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2022

I was in Gateway for almost ten years, I graduated a couple of years ago and sadly the school isn't the same. For starters, their curriculum is extremely lacking. Their math program teaches kids 3 levels below the correct level they should be taught. For example, when I was in Gateway in eighth grade I was taught multiplication, for the 100th time and I am not exaggerating when I say that one bit. It was always reviewed in math class and we would never learn anything new or challenging. That said, their English department is, from what I remember, great. I was taught a lot of strategies, such as the quick outline, which benefited me in high school. However, that is the only class that taught me something that actually helped me in the furture. The science, math, and history department are horrible. When I went into high school I failed math in the first semester and had a lot of trouble keeping up. This is probably because I was, one, never taught pre-algebra and taught division and multiplication in eighth grade. Thankfully, my high school supported me enough for me to succeed. Gateway is a great school but your child will not be challenged here which will have a negative impact on them in their future once they leave Gateway. I loved the school that it was in the early 2010s but it has changed dramatically since then and definitely not for the best. Their new renovations in the school make someone feel claustrophobic and they put most of the arts in the basement. It hurts looking back because when I left Gateway, I cannot tell you how stupid I felt. I realized that the reason why they don't challenge their students is that they don't believe that we can overcome being challenged. The work they gave never challenged me and it was very lacking in all the departments. I personally believe that although the school means well and the idea of it is beautiful, it is all being wasted on a depressing school that does not challenge its students. I don't mean to bad mouth the school and I strongly suggest it for parents who want to send their kids there for lower school but definitely not for middle school. A lot of the great teachers left which just shows you that they were not happy with the faculty or curriculum. I hope the school changes in some years because I believe they can 100% bring it back to how it used to be. I miss the school and despite all the concerns I said, I still look at the gateway with fond and happy memories.
Submitted by parent on October 10, 2021

The Gateway teaching staff is world-class. They have the right combination of empathy, expectation, patience and skill. I have sent three of my children to the school and for kids with executive functioning deficits and language-based learning disabilities, there is no better program. The proprietary math curriculum should be standard for every school.
Submitted by parent on May 26, 2021

The school teaches the students 2-3 years below grade level, their math program only goes up to pre-algebra, they are constantly switching curriculum programs and do not teach science that is above a 6th-grade level. This school has set my child back for high school. It is more effective to get your child a tutor outside of school than to send them to Gateway. My son would complain that we had done the same exact lesson in humanities for the whole week. When my son was teased by another child in his class the school did not handle it well and the teasing continued for the rest of the year.
Submitted by student on January 09, 2021

Students have said various, serious, offensive slurs without even getting spoken to. A student in my class unfortunately said the n word and the teacher heard and the student didn't even get spoken to!
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2019

Terrible. Outrageous. They treat us like babies!
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2019

The majority of the families and students here have a highly positive experience. It makes finding out who the negative comments are from that much more obvious and disappointing. It’s a wonderful school!
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2018

The school that we fell in love with a few years ago is continuing to create an even better learning environment for our children now. Thanks to Carolyn Salzman’s vision, major changes and improvements have been made to the Gateway School just within the last year. And more changes are on the way.
Submitted by parent on November 09, 2017

Gateway has helped transform my daughter from a child who underestimated herself and her capabilities into a strong confident student. We have found teachers who give her the structure and positive reinforcement she needs, while at the same time allowing her to have fun and show her deeply creative side. She has been inspired by the school and its staff and It has been a blessing for us.
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2017

I do not exaggerate when I say that Gateway has been our miracle. After running into countless dead ends, Gateway provided a place and path for our son.
Submitted by parent on October 19, 2017

Gateway restored our son's confidence as learner! The staff & teachers are so supportive!
Submitted by parent on October 06, 2017

We would characterize our life as BG ("Before Gateway") vs. AG ("After Gateway"). Before Gateway, our son, Christopher, was withdrawn, quiet and sad. He had difficulty with transitions, new environments and meeting new people. We had brief glimpses into his personality, but those moments were fleeting. In a classroom setting, Chris was typically the child who was overlooked. After Gateway, we could see Christopher developing into the boy and man he could be. Today, he is talkative, funny and loving and sweet. When confronted with challenges, instead of shutting down or throwing a tantrum, Chris talks to himself and tries to make sense of the situation. Most of all, he is happy. What we love about Gateway is that the school, teachers and staff tailor their program and curriculum for each child. They take great care in getting to know Chris. In Chris's initial interview/evaluation with the Gateway teachers, they described our child perfectly -- in a way that no other school, teacher, therapist has been able to until then. They got him. They understand how to teach, motivate and challenge him today. We are so grateful for the school because we know they are giving him the tools to succeed in the real world tomorrow.
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2017

Gateway has allowed **Daniel's personality and talents to emerge organically, without the pressure of conforming to set, uniform expectations. And Gateway has made Daniel the most generous, non-judgmental, open-minded person I know. Gateway has made Daniel a complete person: at ease with himself and in any social situation. Gateway has built Daniel's self confidence in his most formative years. It has given him a basis for life that he will always take with him. To me, one of the most impressive features of Gateway is the level of aid and information sharing between all teachers and staff. It is as if the school as a whole, and not just individual teachers, is devoted to the success of each child. Gateway has created the conditions under which Daniel could and did succeed. We believe that this feeling of early success will enable Daniel to face growing challenges in the future. **Name changed for Privacy
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2017

Gateway has provided our daughter with a caring, supportive environment in a manageably small setting. The teachers have zeroed in on her specific educational needs. This focus and attention has built her confidence and equipped her with tools and skills that she uses now and that we know will be a benefit to her for the rest of her life.
Submitted by teacher on August 04, 2017

Gateway has great potential to be an effective academic program for students with LD but unfortunately it has a terrible administration. The turnover rate of employees is very high, in the middle school the most veteran teachers have been there less than 5 years. The head of school and the administrators are never consistent and are very disconnected from the students, parents and teachers. They tote themselves on providing top notch PD for their staff, but none of it is effective. They overwork and under-appreciate the teachers, which is why nearly all of them leave or look for better positions at other schools. The curriculum is a giant mess, they are constantly switching programs and the curriculum director forces teachers to develop curriculum (without paying) for them to use as their own. The parents, students and trained teachers are all hardworking and its truly a shame that the administration is so poorly qualified.
Submitted by other on August 15, 2016

The Gateway School was an excellent experience for me. The academic program really prepared me for when I left. I am happy to say I have a fantastic life and Gateway made it possible.
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2015

We have been very disappointed by Gateway since the change in Head of school and the loss of so many teachers in the Middle School over the past two years. The Middle School is an unmitigated disaster with students under challenged and no accountability to teach grade level material. In fact the Middle School curriculum has been in turmoil with a new director and a change to singapore math which has essentially set back every student in the Middle School by 2-3 grade levels. We regret sending our child to this school, in fact we are spending more than ever before on external tutoring. Because of public funding through litigation a school like Gateway can continue to offer sub-par education without reprisal or accountability. There are other LD schools in NYC which have higher expectations. Focusing so much on making students 'feel good about themselves' has attenuated the focus from being a school that teaches to a baby sitting service essentially. What a waste of 3 years. We are removing our child from this school at the end of the current semester.
Submitted by other on November 17, 2014

I have attended this school for 7 years and currently in 7th grade. From the start, the faculty and the students have been friendly to me while helping me academically and athletically. The new building that we have been in since 2008 is very nice though it is only three floors and very small. When I was young, I was supposed to be a kid who was very social anxiety-prone. However, the teachers and students picked me up when I was down and now I have tons of friends. Another positive thing about the school is the small classrooms (When I was in elementary school). From K-4, the biggest class I had was 9 kids, which made it easy to focus. Now I am in the highest math class and on the basketball team and intelligent from this schools standards. However there are some reasons why this is my last year. Since 5th grade, we have been learning below grade material. The school doesn't care for athletics AT ALL, which results in a gym that isn't even a real gym, and only three teams, basketball, soccer, and softball. In the middle school I have only had about 5 good teachers. The school only gives 4 pieces of HW a day.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2014

We are beyond thrilled with Gateway and we have only been there a couple of months. Our daughter has already shown improvement- something we did not expect at all. She loves going to school since they go above and beyond to make learning fun. The faculty and staff are wonderful which makes for a very warm and nurturing environment. The parents are great, and the curriculum is very thought out and impressive. They completely "get" our daughter. I just can't say enough good things about it. We are so glad we made the decision to go with Gateway.