I don't normally write reviews for a school. But this school is really top notch for all the…read moreschools I have searched for my kids. Great school, great programs including music, art, science, and social classes from preschools to higher grades. As a parent, I'm very impressed and the kids are happier here. Trust me, there are schools, private schools out there can't even come close to this. The principal is leading her team of staff to an excellence model of all schools should be.

We have been a part of the St. Matthias Catholic Academy (SMCA) family for the last 12 years. This…read moreis not just a school; it is a caring community. Volunteering at school allowed me to meet some great parents who became my best friends. Both my children started their education at SMCA from Pre-K. They always had very caring and dedicated teachers. I feel safe leaving my kids at school while I have to go to work. My kids love the school and their friends. My older son graduated from SMCA in 2022; his former teachers always greet him with a smile whenever he stops by his alma mater. SMCA offers a great after-school program led by Ms. Vicky, who knows all the children by their names and ensures they are well cared for. While in after-school, kids do their homework, play games, and work on art projects. The new principal, Mrs.Donahue, is an excellent educator; she is always there to support the students and teachers. She goes above and beyond to ensure our children get a quality education. The school offers regent's prep classes for 8th graders. There are various clubs (Darama, Lego, Prayer, YearBook) and extracurricular activities (piano, band, soccer, basketball, choir). SMCA organizes many family events where we get to spend time with other families (Christmas Show, Family Dance, Radio bingo, 100 Club, etc). St. Matthias Catholic School is a great neighborhood school.

My son is currently enroll and I can't be more than happy to have him in a school we're he is…read moretreated as family. Teachers are great and his progress has been great!!!

I have been an advocate of the Montessori pedagogy since the beginning of my parenting journey and…read morehave done my best to apply its fundamentals at home. But, nothing compares to seeing your children flourish in a rich, Montessori school setting! I love the excellence put forth in this school from the administration to the teachers to the facilities. Everything is very intentional. My 2yo daughter (almost 3) is thriving and being exposed to so much more than what an average daycare would provide. She is learning about the solar system, the seasons, life cycles of bugs, how to write and trace, letters, math, matching and logic. Because Montessori fosters independence, confidence and asks the kids to take an active role in their own education, I believe this type of system sets them up for future success and fuels their own internal drive towards reaching their personal best. Like many parents, we are highly invested in our daughters education and care. In the past, we ran into a bad daycare environment that gave us serious trust issues. But thankfully, and after much vetting, we feel at home with Melville Montessori. My daughter loves her teachers, her school, her classmates and all of the new information she absorbs them shares at home. That's all we asked for! We are so thankful for Melville and proud of her progress. We plan to stick with Montessori for the long haul!

To start I would like to say that the teachers and staff are lovely, but the administrator named…read moreEric should not be in a business for families. Our toddler was enrolled for 3 weeks and without warning we were told that his last day was the same day that I was dropping him off. No notice was given, no reason as to why he could no longer attend, or why we couldn't have more time to find an alternative. We agree that he is a very active young boy, and we fully understand that he can be difficult. We even understand if a school cannot handle him then it's not the right fit. But it was cruel and unprofessional to kick a child out without notice, and now we find ourselves losing work looking for an alternative for childcare. To add insult to injury, when we asked for a refund we were told by Eric that any further conversation would be with his lawyer! Please be warned, they are expecting house plants for children here, who will require no effort. If your child is not perfectly docile you can expect to be shown the door without warning. Absolutely shameful behavior and an incredible lack of professionalism.

What an awesome school. Great upk program with caring teachers. Wonderful teachers in the upper…read moregrades, a very caring staff and excellent learn curriculum.

Attended their Oktoberfest: yard sale, food, silent auction, kid zone. Kid zone was their…read morebackyard with their usual climbing structure plus a small 8x8 inflatable. Great for toddlers but big kids ran and jumped. No staff attended. My two years old did not stand a chance inside the inflatable. Won't return next year.

The school is absolutely great for all. The Staff and Teachers are always happy to see children day…read moreby day and I love how well they have taught children in English and Math. I recommend this school for all kids who are aging into Elementary School. I think my 4th grade teacher Mr. Wiecezak is still there I don't know but he was great and I can remember his happiness for teaching. Hope your child enjoys P.S. 173 as well.

My elementary school! I loved my time here and still get sentimental everytime I drive past it. My…read morekindergarten teacher Mrs.Greenberg is probably not there anymore but she was amazing and helped me through my struggles learning english after moving to the U.S-I can still remember the layout of her classroom and the smell of crayons as if it was just yesterday. This school has great resources and caring teachers, my tenant's daugter attends this school now and is so excited for the new school year next week. They must be doing something right to get kids wanting for school to start! PS. 173 will always have a sweet spot in my heart!

This is the most wonderful school I could have ever hoped to find for my child. The wonderful,…read morenurturing environment has helped my daughter to thrive and I couldn't be happier with my choice of school.

We couldn't be more thrilled with our son's experiences at Kew-Forest. Coming from the overcrowded…read moreNYC public school system, it's great for him to be in an environment which looks at each student as an individual and caters to their specific learning needs and learning styles. This is all due to an incredible mission statement, visionary leadership, the great student/teacher ratio (small classroom sizes), curriculum, and their amazing faculty.

We've had a truly wonderful experience at Preschool R Us 3, and I can't say enough good things…read moreabout the school and its teachers. From what we've observed, the environment is caring, structured, and supportive of each child's individual needs. The school focuses on well-rounded development, academically, socially, and emotionally. One of the things we especially value is the dual-language program. It's amazing to see how naturally the children are exposed to both languages in such a warm and engaging way. Ms. Jin is incredibly patient and caring. She even takes the time to do my child's hair each day, and it's always a joy to see the little details. My daughter also comes home excited to share new Chinese words she learned and proudly sing the songs she's learned. She knows so many now! My child loves to learn, and what really stood out to us is how the teachers meets her where she is. That level of flexibility and attentiveness says a lot about their dedication. At the same time, every child develops at their own pace, and the teachers do a great job supporting the children appropriately. Ms. Adela, in particular, may have a quiet demeanor, but she shows up every day with intention and depth. She introduces the children to the world in meaningful ways, whether it's explaining why snow falls from the sky, teaching them about the signs that guide our daily lives, or exploring simple machines like pulleys. She is kind, patient, and genuinely invested in the children. They also provided us with a great deal of guidance throughout the school application process. Their knowledge of different programs and schools was incredibly helpful and made it much easier for us to make informed decisions. Ms. Joanna has been wonderful guiding us with great advice for the kindergarten application process. She is thoughtful, patient, and incredibly knowledgeable, always taking the time to answer our questions and explain each step clearly. Her support made a meaningful difference in helping us feel confident and informed as we navigated our options. I don't want to forget to mention Ms. Amy. Her attention to the children, along with the extra care she has shown my child, really made us feel how much she genuinely cares. She goes above and beyond in small but meaningful ways, and it's clear she treats children with genuine warmth and attention. As a parent, it's incredibly comforting to know your child is in such capable and caring hands. We've seen real growth, not only academically, but socially and emotionally too. It's also important to keep expectations age-appropriate. Every child develops at their own pace, and needing more time or a different approach is simply part of that process, not a reflection of the teachers. Communication works best as a partnership, and when there's open, ongoing dialogue, the school is responsive, supportive, and truly invested. We're very grateful for these teachers and everything they've done, and we would wholeheartedly recommend Preschool R Us 3 to any family.

My daughter has the amazing opportunity to be apart of this school. When I toured the school 2…read moreyears ago I was blown away by how clean and organized the facility was. All classes were on scheduled timeline with plenty of activities and lessons. They also have their own kitchen to ensure all the children are provided with nutritious meals. The teachers and site directors are very proactive and informative in keeping all parents informed on what the children are learning and what is happening at the school. My daughter is on her second year here and I wished they offered more grades so I can keep her there. It's truly an amazing facility offering a great start for my daughter into an educational environment.

During my time (2000-2004) in Newtown High School, it was a very diverse, mostly immigrant…read morecommunity, and many families were struggling with economic and educational issues. Diversity is a blessing but it can also bring struggles such as misunderstanding and unequal treatment. In that environment I often felt discriminated against, unsafe, overlooked, judged and unsupported, especially as a person with a disability. During my time there, the student body was approximately 35% Asian, 50% Hispanic, 10% African American, and 5% White. Around 70% had moved to the U.S. after age 11, 80% came from less-educated families, and 70% were from low-income households. About 65% of the students' parents worked cash-paying jobs. The graduation rate was about 55% and Ivy League acceptance was around 20%. Newtown High School has not been in a good school district and did not feel like a well-resourced environment during that time, and it felt like the system became so focused on its reputation that students with disabilities were often overlooked. There seemed to be more emphasis on increasing graduation rates and Ivy League acceptance rates than on supporting students who needed help, which I find deeply wrong. It was more difficult for me, because I thought I would get support from Mrs. Chen (Guidance Counselor) and Mrs. Wang (Assistant Principal of Guidance). I thought they would understand my situation, especially because we were from the same cultural background (Chinese). Instead, I often felt dismissed, discriminated against and misunderstood, and it was painful and confusing. It made me realize that bias and lack of support can show up anywhere, even where you hope it wouldn't. Over the years, I've noticed that Asians and my Asian classmates are the same. Whenever there's a problem, they're very passive and don't speak up no matter how angry they are about the problem. They just talk about it amongst themselves. I have lived in the USA for nearly 40 years, China for 5 years, and am close to most of them and I get upset when they just accept things that they know are wrong. When I ask them why they don't ever speak up, they say they don't want to stir up trouble and they don't trust management. It actually connects to something that happened to me back in 2003 at Newtown High School. I accidentally got locked in a girls' locker room one Saturday afternoon at 1pm on a summer of 75 degrees after class . What I thought would be a quick trip turned into being stuck there for about two hours. I was shouting for help through a small open window, getting weaker, and at one point I honestly thought I might pass out. "Help! I am stuck at the girl's gym on the 5th floor!" I didn't have a cell phone and my water. Just when I was close to passing out, two students (an African American boy and a Spanish girl) heard me and immediately got security. Their quick action prevented a much worse outcome, and I've always remembered their courage and responsiveness. As the security guard was walking us to the main entrance, we ran into Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Wang right outside of the Guidance counselor's office on the 2nd Floor. I was told that this was also near where my calls for help had been heard. What struck me just as much, though, was realizing that Mrs. Chen (guidance counselor) and Mrs. Wang (Assistant Principal of Guidance) had heard me but didn't act, and later treated the situation lightly. That experience made me feel dismissed and unsafe. What's most shocking is that the next few days, I heard some Chinese students, who lived across Newtown High School, had heard me, joked about it, and wished something bad upon me. Not only they didn't bother to call for help or report it, but they ignored it and treated the whole situation lightly. Even though my enemy shouts out for help, I would call for help or report it to authorities. Moreover, Mrs. Chen, who consistently belittled me, didn't refer me to proper support and services, and discouraged me from attending college, believing that people with disabilities are incapable of completing higher education. As a person with a degree, I wouldn't recommend this high school nor would I want my child to go here based on my experience.

Its pretty sad how a few people end up giving Newtown a bad name. Now I have to be honest when I…read moregot into this school had the opportunity of going into on of the specialized high school but I just didn't want to make the commute everyday. I can truly say that Newtown has teachers that care. Even after graduation I have teachers that I'm still in touch with. Heck I'm always going back to the school every once in a while. Now there are teachers who obviously don't care about the students - but you find people like that everywhere. There were fights but what school doesn't. Honestly I can say in my four years there I only witnessed two fights and when I heard about fights it wasn't even an everyday thing. The one problem that the school has is the security guards. I don't know if it was just my luck but they would always make my life harder walking in the hallways - with a pass... and yet I would see people who would cut everyday and were so familiar with the guards the the guards would walk with them. If you get the right teachers (there are plenty - don't want to name any because I don't want to leave anyone out) and do what you are supposed to do Newtown is pretty good school. Newtown Class of 2011!