P.S. 24 Spuyten Duyvil

This school is just ok if you have a regular kid. You will surely be disappointed if your kid need special help academically or is very bright that need more challenge. Some teachers are great, some are just so-so. The fact that it is not a union free school make it very difficult to let those long time "so-so" teachers leave. So it's a true hit-or-miss situation every year.
—Submitted by a parent

PS 24 is an excellent school. I specifically moved and bought a condo in this neighborhood because of this school. In contrast to my son's last school, PS 178 in Washington Heights, he really loves his school and loves what they learn. PS 24 has excellent teachers, a very active parents association that is always sending announcements to parents on how they can partiicpate, music, science and art programs and occupational therapists that help students with fine and gross motor skills - my son meets with the OT twice a week and his pencil grip and handwriting skills have improved significantly. I'm happy we made the transition and hope that we'll find an equally excellent middle school.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in 4th grade at PS 24, and our experience there has been extraordinary. we only wish there was an equivalent middle school in the bronx. every teacher my son has had has been extremely talented. some have been a bit more warm than others, but for the most part the staff is extremely empathetic and they genuinely love their students. The administration is innovative and energetic, and very effective. Like any public institution, there are disgruntled and resentful parents, and you can read their bad reviews here! but pay no heed to them. we have found it very easy to participate in the parent association, and we volunteer regularly. my only complaint about the parents as a whole is that there is considerable resistance among many to contribute to their children's own education. but, that is changing. with every new class, we see more parent involvement and more participation in fundraising, which is great. the money raised by parents has provided smart boards, computers, and trips to lincoln center. I will miss this place when it is time to move on!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter couldnt be any happier then she is this yr at PS.24. We moved to the bronx a few months before school started and I was worried about her transition. Her teacher is amazing..kids are great. Very good school support.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a public school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The Riverdale section of the Bronx is the most affluent area of the Bronx. The school is so great! All of the fantastic things about it cannot fit into the regular 5 day week. Therefore, unlike all other schools, PS24 needs to have a revolving 6 day week. The only problem with this is that no-one knows what day of the week it is at PS24 without consulting a source other than a calendar. Please disregard all negative and mysterious comments about PS24 that are posted on this site. Such comments are clearly made only for political gain.

This is a public school in the Riverdale, a section of The Bronx. The demographic profile reflects this reality. Most of the parents are hard working people with backgrounds that love Bell's curve and they know that PS24 is one of the best schools in the Bronx and recognize that their children will have a solid education here. Somebody ill informed calls this school "a favorite for lazy parents" and although I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion, this opinionated commentary was made in one's bad day. PS24 is very well organized, parents are involved and teachers are very interested in one thing: our children's education. Some irrationally irated comments seem politically motivated, either to keep away interested people in order to avoid overcrowding or just cause damage for some cryptic reason.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school. I went there as a child and now my daughter attends. Still hosts a wonderful learning environment. Teachers are superb. School is in excellent shape as well. You can literally eat off the floors. The diverse ethnicity of students make for socially advanced children. Just my opinion. Very pleased.
—Submitted by a parent

Our child started attending PS24 in the fall for Kindergarten. While the school is academically very sound, the environment is very cold and the kids are treated very harshly. The Principal walks around with her nose in the air and does not greet parents (unless you're the president of the PA). The PA is amazing but needs to be more inviting. Whiny parents, snobby community. After hearing so many wonderful things about PS 24, we were very dissappointed with the school overall. We have transferred our child elsewhere.
—Submitted by a parent

Can't understand all the great reviews there are probably 2 great teachers if that many and the teacher my son has now her strings are being pulled by the class and grade reps .Thank god my son is smart and I always find new ways of helping him because this teacher really does not care about teaching she only cares about what the top parents think.There are only a select group of parents who are allowed to do anything in the school the rest of us are not even spoken to only when the class needs money they invite us to participate .Thought this was a public school but it is not being run that way
—Submitted by a parent

My son passed the practice test for the ELA test that decides whether he would go into 5th grade next year. So, we've already spent thousands of dollars on his ideal summer camp, the time of which coincides with the mandatgory summer school he now faces. The official ELA scroes were available well before June 20. The letter about him failing the language part of the test was dated June 20, but we didn't receive it until June 24. How do we tell a 10-year-old that he may not go to 5th grade next year and that he may not be able to attend his ideal summer school?
—Submitted by a parent

We began renting in Spuyten Duyvil because we hoped that PS 24 would be a good fit for our children, and we are so grateful that we did. Our son is now in first grade, and although he entered kindergarten not reading at all, now he is a "level M". I am so impressed with the quality of teachers he has had. Mornings are so easy for us because he LOVES going to school. His class composed a full orchestral piece that was then performed by an adult orchestra. He looks forward to Chess Club during lunchtime. He is constantly engaged in charitable activities - most recently we donated books to send to tornado ravaged elementary schools in the South. The school is on a 6 day schedule which allows students to take additional "specials" like theater, music, art, and conflict resolution. We cannot say enough good things about the school. You can't look at the out-of-date postings below. The school's new principal (of almost 2 years now) is really doing things right. by our child. We are so convinced that PS 24 is a great school that we recently made the leap and bought a home here in the neighborhood. We are here to stay.
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughter graduated 2 years ago from PS 24. Her cousins go to Fieldston. We think she received a better education than her cousins and had the added better benefit of going to school with a real cross section of NYC. Most of the teachers and administrators were extremely engaged and prepared to teach our daughter. It was a great jumping off point for middle school and where ever she goes in the future. Avril Wenderoff and Steve Bloom (4th and 5th grade teachers) truly rock and should be cloned
—Submitted by a parent

P.S. 24 has been an awesome place for both my daughter (in G & T) and our son (who started kindergarten after having been recently adopted and not speaking English). They are children with very different needs; P.S. 24 has been a supportive environment with great teachers for both. The distractions around its Principal (or lack of one) prevents it from getting 5 stars.
—Submitted by a parent

After having two children at this school for a total of 11 years, I can say with conviction that PS 24 is a mediocre school with many unprofessional teachers, staff, and administrators coupled with very competitive parents who live vicariously through their children. My younger son had a wonderful woman as his 4th grade honors teacher, but for the other grades the teachers were substandard. If I had to do it over again, I would have explored the many wonderful options in Manhattan and the private schools. Both my kids now go to other truly great schools outside of this community, thus illuminating the mediocrity of PS 24. My advice to parents is to look beyond PS 24's fame status and really check out the types of adults (teachers, parent coordinator, assistant principal, etc.) involved with this school . . . and then run as far away as you can!!!!
—Submitted by a parent

I love this school. It's organized and my child is diciplined. They are informative and I love the school.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter was accepted into the honors program in fourth grade. The teacher was so nice. She was sweet and caring for the students. I was very flabbergasted when she was accepted because her grades were below average in second grade. But the third, fourth and fifth grade were strong. I am very proud of this school.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a graduate of spuyten duyvil ps 24. i loved the school. I was able to learn so much there and was supported by teachers and faculty. There are things that may be improved (the curriculum), but other than that, I appreciated this school for all it had done for me. After, I made it into the middle school and high school (Stuyvesant) I had put as my goal. Thank You!

My daughter used to attend PS 24 in 2005. After only 4 months of Kindergarten, I had to pull her out of the school do to lack of resources. Children who receive special educational services are not included and supported by the school. The segregation that happens in the special ed department is depressing. The lack of specialized services for children is over whelming. If you have a child with special needs I would not recommend this school.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter used to attend PS 56. She was accepted to the gifted and talented program. After a lot of discussion with the staff, she was allowed to go to PS 24. At PS 56, there were parent workshops every month with free manipulatives and some story books. At P.S. 24, there is only 1 workshop because the parents commute. At P.S. 56, the school calendar scheduled trips for the school. At PS 24, the place is so isolated that scheduling trips may be more difficult. The principal kindly called our house and welcomed us but there are some things I miss about my daughter's old school.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are very interested in the kids AS there are is a large group of special ed kids there, there is some resistance to placing more there. Not enough seats for gifted and talented program - Students who tested high (but not high enough) were given a seat in another district school. Great emphasis on Physical education and health. Good parent involvement. Lose lots of the great kids to private school when they hit the local middle school 141.
—Submitted by a parent