If your child was born in 2010 and enrolling in kindergarten next year (or 2011 going into pre-K next year), now is the time to start looking at schools. Many public schools are starting to offer tours and open houses in advance of the opening of the January application process Charter schools and some private schools are also conducting tours and info sessions. We recommend that you see as many schools as you can so that you can find the best one for your child. Since many tours in January and February fall on the same days, it’s good to start now to see every school that you might want to visit before the application deadline in February. Before you start your search you can learn about schools in our area with our Primer on Downtown Brooklyn Schools.
Here are the latest tour schedules (as of 11/24/14 – we’ll be updating them as much as possible)….always double check with the school to see if they have added more dates:
DISTRICT 13
- PS 8 (Brooklyn Heights) – Tours: 12/3, 1/14, 3/4 from 9 – 11am.. Zoned families are being warned to expect a wait list for next year so they should explore multiple options.
- PS 20 (Fort Greene) - Tours: Check with school.
- PS 46 Magnet School for Communications and Media (Ft. Greene) – TOURS: check website for tour dates.
- PS 133 (Park Slope) - Tours: 12/17, 1/14, 1/28, 2/11. RSVP here. Has dual language programs.
- PS 146 Brooklyn New School (Carroll Gardens) Tours: 12/4, 12/11, 1/9, 1/22, 2/26, 3/4, 3/26 @ 9:00am. 2/4 @ 6pm. No registration required.
- PS 287 (Vinegar Hill/Fort Greene) - call parent coordinator Cynthia Rivera at 718-834-4745.
- PS 282 (Park Slope) – Tours: Check website. Has a G&T program.
- PS 307 Magnet School for STEM studies (Vinegar Hill) – Tours: 12/8 @ 6 pm as well as 12/12 @ 9 am.
- Arts and Letters (Fort Greene) - 1/8, 1/15, 1/22 @ 9:30 AM, 1/28 @ 6PM, register here.
- Brooklyn Compass Charter School (Fort Greene): 12/2, 1/6, & 2/3 @ 5PM, 12/9, 1/13, 2/10 @ 9AM. Check the website for more details.
- Brooklyn Prospect Charter (Downtown Brooklyn) – Info sessions: 1/22 & 2/10 @ 7PM. Sign up here.
- Community Roots Charter School (Fort Greene) – Tours: 2/5, 2/26, 3/12, 3/26 @ 8:45. Register for a tour.
- International Charter School (TBD Near DoBro) -Info session 12/3, 12/11, & 12/15. Check website for locations. This new school is opening for K & 1st grade in 2015.
- Success Academy Charter School (Fort Greene) – Check website for tours.
DISTRICT 15
- PS 38 (Boerum Hill) – Tours: Contact the school
- PS 133 (Park Slope) – Tours: 12/17, 1/14, 1/28, 2/11. RSVP here. Has dual language programs.
- PS 146 Brooklyn New School (Carroll Gardens) Tours: 12/4, 12/11, 1/9, 1/22, 2/26, 3/4, 3/26 @ 9:00am. 2/4 @ 6pm. No registration required.
- PS 261 (Boerum Hill) – Tours: 1/29, 2/12 @ 8:30 AM. Details can be found here.
- Success Academy Charter (Cobble Hill) - Check website for tours.
PRIVATE
- BASIS Brooklyn (Red Hook) – Info Session: 12/6 @ 11 AM. Check their website for more dates.
- AltSchool (Brooklyn Heights) – Info Session: 12/3 at 11.30 am and 7 pm. RSVP here. A new K-8 school opening in 2015.
For more information about school options in the area and how to apply to kindergarten or pre-K, visit these links:
- DoBro Schools Primer on Downtown Brooklyn Schools.
- Research each school on Schoolbook.
- Inside Schools guide to applying to and touring kindergarten programs.
- NYC DOE School Directories can be found here.
- Department of Education website with important dates.
- Joyce Szuflita of NYC School Help offers group talks and private consulting about the application process and the merits of different schools.
