Big Apple Academy

My kid had been studying in that school starting from pre-school and finishing last year in the 9th grade. Unfortunately there wasn't 10th grade in the school, otherwise my child would have been there for sure.
--Submitted by a parent

Two of the departments that really stand out in my memory are the Math and English departments. Math teachers in this school are really strong and very serious about their subject. Lessons were very clear and homework assignments were challenging enough for us to absorb the material, but not overwhelming. I recall seeing math topics studied at other schools and they were a joke in comparison to the ones we learnt. English classes... I cannot stress how difficult it is to encounter good English teachers nowadays and I have seen quite a few from different middle schools. They often do not teach grammar or skim through the reading texts and just focus on having their students perform on simple standardized exams, which I hate. In Big Apple Academy this is really not the case. They have strong faculty for both - grammar and literature lessons. This really helps once you get to taking SAT's for colleges. I came to BAMBI knowing no English at all and got perfect on the SAT English and 75% of grammar I needed I learnt at BAMBI. Overall, once I got to high school, I realized just how well prepared I was in all the departments. BAMBI is a great and challenging environment.

One thing that is truly unique to this school is the attention provided by faculty. Everyone - from teachers to the principal - is available for parents and students to talk to. The environment is respectful and caring. I do not remember being in a situation when I, as a student, had a problem - personal or academic - and was not offered help from the faculty. I really enjoyed the personal approach to academics. My classmates and I knew the teachers and felt free to speak to them about our progress and the subject material. If we ever had questions, they were always answered. In general, I would say that this school is for those who want to succeed. If a student is serious about academics and wanting to learn, he/she will REALLY benefit from this program. If a student wants to slack off, this school is not right for them. The only negative feedback I ever heard about the school came from students and parents of students who wanted to breeze through school without lifting a finger. In terms of the environment, students become really close friends. Teachers move from class to class - not students, which makes it a lot easier to interact during breaks. I had a great experience.

BAMBI was the first school I attended in the United States after I immigrated from Russia. Teachers helped me assimilate, learn the language and get up to speed in all of the subjects. Within two years, the school prepared me for the SHSAT and I got into Staten Island Tech without having to receive outside tutoring or paying ridiculous amounts for the preparatory programs. When I started attending SIT, I felt confident in all of the subject areas and aced my classes, not without BAMBI's influence. I now attend MIT; I got here without participating in any of the SAT prep programs. I feel that math, English, and science base I received in BAMBI helped carry me through high school years and really aided in preparation for most of the standardized tests I took for college admission. I sincerely recommend this school.

I've been working in that school over 10 years. I swear I've never thought for the moment to change my job. Thank you Big Apple Institute!!!
--Submitted by a teacher

I was concerned about this school because of some reviews and even more concerned when I went there for tour and was unfortunate enough to be toured by careless secretary who kept texting someone on her phone while talking to us. So we decided to give this school another chance and still went for placement test to Kindergarten at Big Apple Academy. That was a shame of organization. They put about 100 parents with their kids at the SAME time into ONE space - tight hallway. Nobody gave us any direction or tried to organize crowd somehow. Everything was very chaotic. And THAT was my daughter's first schools experience! I looked at this disorganized crowd and thought: will stuff of this school be able to organize students and get them out in case of emergency??? I doubt that. Sorry, but this school is out of our list.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is great. The teachers are just professional. This is an environment I like to have transferred from a public school. Thanks to the teachers and administration of big apple academy
--Submitted by a parent

This school is an amazing school. My daughter knows more than me! This school is an oppurtunity for her to learn and socialize. She comes home looking so happy and says, "Mom, I had the best time at school."
--Submitted by a parent

This is the worst school ever. If you hate your kids then send them here. This school is like a Russian store. The English teacher is 23 and speaks Russian in class. A 23 yr old shouldn't be teaching 12-13 yr old's. She doesn't teach anything only talks about her boyfriend. The math teacher is a rude, disrespectful person. She doesn't care about anything. She is tough screams and hits children for nothing. The Science teacher is a old 72 year old man and by the time he gets to there class he has no time to teach or sits on the phone talking you his friends. The S.S. teacher doesn't teach at all. The only teacher that teaches is the Russian teacher. The sport teacher cares about himself and money. He loves to say " Don't smile I am not your Dentist. " This school doesn't teach anything and is just a Russian name/ Russian Bazaar. If you have no where else to spend $850 for nothing then bring your kids here.
--Submitted by a parent

Worst experience i ever had. Teachers are careless and materialistic, very rude and obnoxious.You have been judged by gifts you make. Lots of teachers have terrible Russian ascent, and kids repeat their mispronunciation. By 2nd grade lots of kids don't read well. Math is very advanced, but why would they need 60-100 multiplication or division examples every day for their HW? HW in school is done by teachers, sometimes even written by them. Food is also bad for this amount of money, children didn't like it. Principle is old and forgets what he does in a couple of minutes. Never gets a solution to any problem. My child lost a copy of his HW in a first grade and principle said that copies are expensive nowadays, so they don't have any extra.
--Submitted by a parent