New Explorations Into Science, Tech and Math High School

Very disappointing. The academics are fine, but the children are treated very badly, The administration is unable to listen, and seems bafflingly self satisfied.
—Submitted by a parent

NEST is like a bad catholic school. Discipline is at the core of their classroom management. Although the curriculum is Bank Street, NEST does not use a developmental approach. It is an extremely unhealthy environment.
—Submitted by a parent

My Middle and Upper school kids are doing great at NEST. Home work is tough, but from the beginning the school was very up-front about work load, so it is no surprise. As a working parent I am very pleased about the communication between school and home: weekly administration newsletter, PTA newsletter, bi-weekly electronic bulletin, PTA meetings, website and web resource page, parent workshops and the dreaded Parent Alert Letters (PAL's). If your kid misses one homework or fails a quiz, you get a PAL right away. The administration is totally student focused and some Lower School parents feel they (adults) should get more personal attention. Many of them had their kids in private pre-schools and expect the same kind of treatment. NEST has a Parent Peer Leader program to assist Lower School parent through this adjustment phase. As a G&T school, kids get revaluated every year. Kids that can't keep up are counseled out.
—Submitted by a parent

Quality of academic programs is very high. Availability of music is growing in middle and upper schools. Art and Dance are established programs. Not much extracurricular available, but the school is still young. Don't know how the kids would have time for them with the volume of homework they receive daily. Parent involvement is expected-especially during fundraising. Parents are not treated respectfully by the administration. Administration leadership becomes defensive (and sometimes belligerent) if parents express concern about the communication problems at the school. But thankfully, most teachers are excellent and many encourage parent involvement in a variety of ways. The school has the potential to be off the charts excellent, but as a parent that loves the school--I'm concerned.
—Submitted by a parent

Overall we are very pleased with the school and it's philosophy. We are very impressed with the research based curriculum that incorporates all of the different disciplines(ie: math, reading, science, etc.) by working toward the knowledge of a common subject matter, thus learning a great deal for instance, about 'apples' in one semester. This also helps make it a joyful learning process despite the rigor of the school's curriculum. Our child has had two top notch primary class room teachers. She is happy at the school and doing well. The administration and PTA have made an intense effort to achieve all that they are succeeding at in the development of this great school. But they have also alienated many well meaning parents that have voiced opposing ideas in the decision making and communication regarding the school. This is a source of discontent for many who have tried to participate in NEST's process.
—Submitted by a parent

The school's academics are great--our kids are challenged and learning much! The faculty is terrific: engaging, committed and skilled. The Curriculum is wonderful. The Administration habitually shoots itself in the foot, however, when it comes to effectively communicating. There is no dialog with parents. The one-way communication style varies in quality and ranges from 'no information,' hrough 'underinformed,' 'incomplete information,' 'misleading information,' and, in a couple of situations, 'misinformation.' Case in point: Recent post-storm cancellation of afterschool programs was stated as 'per Chancellor.' The Parent Coordinator had to issue a hasty retraction when it was realized that several families now send their children to afterschool programs at other schools (where there were no such cancellations). The Administration expects parents' support even when its policies are in conflict with our children's needs. If you can 'drink the Kool-Aid,' join the cult of personality and go with the flow, you'll do fine here.
—Submitted by a parent

I think it's overrated. very rigid classrooms and severe administration. parent-unfriendly.
—Submitted by a parent

I could not be happier with the teachers, administration and support services teams. My son has gotten an education at Nest+m, much preferable to the private schools he had attended for 7 years. He will enter high school at Nest+m in September and I could not be prouder. The school motivated and encouraged my son who feels loved and cared for like at no other facility. The school does demand a great deal of work - most great things in life do - but the student is well supported. There is a sense of interdependence at Nest+m that I have seen nowhere else. The students have advisory period first class daily with both teacher and elder student peer sdvisors. The PTA is very active in the school as is the Parent Coordinator who is fantastic. The wisest choice my son's mother made was in selecting Nest+m for our boy.
—Submitted by Brian Hugh Marren, a parent

This school is not a very good school, my daughter in this school is doing very poorly in high school and this school doesn't give enough help to my daughter in such topics as chemistry. The faculty of this school isn't very good. This school doesn't really focus well on the kids education. If you're not in dress code you will have to be sent home. Kids get suspended in school for the smallest things, definitely shouldn't go to this school, they ask for money.
—Submitted by Juanis Marco, a parent

My son is in the 8th grade at NEST and will stay for HS. His middle school years at NEST have been a academic challenge for him but he has grown so much as a person and as a student. He enters HS with time management and organizational skills, advanced writing techniques, and Math A and Chemistry regents credits. Our first graduating class got into Yale, Wesleyan, UPenn, New Paltz, Geneceo, and other great colleges, so my son is really psyched about HS and his college prospects. One of the things he likes the most about NEST is havinng the little kids around. K-12 is the way to go!
—Submitted by Esther Armstrong, a parent

My daughter is finishing her first year at NEST+m (6th Grade)! She had been in a parochial school from Pre-K to 5. The education she receives at NEST+m is so far superior to what we were used to. It constantly amazes me at the subjects she is becoming so versed in. There is a hands-on strategy used throughout the curriculum, teachers that encourage, and a true diversified population of students and teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

NEST receives a great deal of contributions from private donations therefore has excellent facilities and small class sizes. The problem is that the staff is arrogant and rude and lords it over parents at every opportunity that they are lucky to have their child attend. Academically, this school is not as strong as they like to profess that they are.
—Submitted by a parent

We moved our son over from an exclusive Private School to this relatively new Public School. We're amazed to see that NEST+m is actually superior. The administration sets a high standard and enforces it with love and discipline. Teachers nurture and lead. And the parent body is very involved and diverse. I hope this becomes a model for many NYC Public Schools.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two lower school children that are learning, very happy and safe at Nest+m. It provides a sharing environment for all types of children to participate, not only for the outgoing ones. The parent base in is extremely committed and active.
—Submitted by a parent