Two Upper East Side public schools have made U.S. News & World Report’s latest list of the best elementary or middle schools in New York State, with P.S. 77 Lower Lab School on East 96th Street taking home the coveted top spot. Tag Young Scholars School, on East 109th, came in at ninth place.
Both schools had some stiff competition, as the surveyors looked at a total of 2,378 schools statewide. P.S. 77 is already a decorated school, having won the Blue Ribbon award from the federal Department of Education last year. Their school slogan captures the mix of fun activities and serious academic standards that they are known for upholding: “Live, Love, Lab!”
The U.S. News report outlines the impressive statistics of P.S. 77, which has a student population of around 368 kids. Students at the K-5 school reportedly maintain reading and math proficiency levels of 98 percent or more, well above citywide averages. It also has an extraordinary teacher-student ratio of 19:1.
The Tag (Talented and Gifted) Young Scholars School, meanwhile, has a school population of 550 and a teacher ratio of 18:1; a total of 94 percent of students were rated proficient in math, with 97 percent proficient in reading.
In a statement provided to Our Town, Tag School Principal Jonathan Dascal described what makes his school tick: “The success that our scholars have achieved is truly a reflection of the entire school community. We have a very engaged family network. The support that we receive from the District 4 leadership team has allowed the school to continue to grow and develop.
”Our teaching and support staff works tirelessly to provide our scholars with the best learning environment possible. Finally, the scholars themselves show up every day, ready and willing to put in the work. Assistant Principal Dr. Cosme and myself are truly honored to lead such an extraordinary school community,” Dascal added.
In a comprehensive interview with Our Town, P.S. 77 principal Sandra Miller outlined what makes the school she stewards special, calling the U.S. News & World designation “a great honor.”
With a background in staff development, as well as a stint as a Deputy Leader for Instruction under Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s Empowerment Network initiative, Miller emphasized that it’s “the people you hire” who provide the sort of stellar school outcomes she seeks.
She’s also been involved with K-12 schools and transfer schools, and believes that “if you don’t get it right in elementary school,” students will struggle more during their more distracting middle-school and high-school years.
”We work very hard,” she said. “I’d say that the two features of our school are a very successful combination of social-emotional work and academic work. We have a very rigorous academic program, where we accelerate [students] a full year ahead, and we support the kids to meet that potential.”
Miller also stressed that parent involvement is the key to the success of their students: “We have appreciative parents, who show up. We have conversations with parents and say, ‘We can’t do this alone . . . we will support your children at the highest level, but we need you guys to do it with us.’ “
P.S. 77 uses what it calls its “Lower Lab Values”—such as perseverance, commitment, and teamwork—as a guidepost for students. “We party around these accomplishments,” she said. “We did it last year when we won the Blue Ribbon. When we won this year, we happened to be having a very large assembly, which we do four to six times a year, where we celebrate our social-emotional work.”
Winning the award isn’t just a testament to Miller’s leadership, however. It also came with a huge boon for the kids: no homework for one night. Then it was back to business as usual.