Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway

This school cares all about their reputation and stresses kids and teachers to keep high academical performance. That is why your kid first semester will end up having law grades so teacher will take credit for nexts semesters for improving the grades. But trues is that we parents are suffering taking kids to tutoring at least 2-3 times a week. Basically we getting kids education outside of school and school getting credit for our kids knowledge. A lot of mental pressure for kids and to their parents. Good luck if you decide to take that road of struggle. I am still in it.

The school is one of the best in NYC. It's not just the test scores, the top notch teachers that are drawn to the school elevates it. The district only take kids from Forest Hills so it's difficult to get a spot as there's a waitlist (don't be fooled by the parents complaining, believe me they have no idea how good they have it, go compare with any NYC school and they will see, the door is wide open). I went here as a kid with my siblings and we all were well prepared and it hasn't changed. People from throughout NYC move to the area for the school. There's a few very good parochial schools in FH that are also good options (i.e., Our Lady Queens of Martyrs) but a pricey private school won't make in FH because of PS196 and the value offered from the local schools. PS196 does a great job mixing the special needs kids in and also have a great teacher student ratio. The homework is well balanced and not much pressure yet the kids really enjoy learning at school and doing the assignments. The reading core keeps the kids on track in English for parents who are concerned about English as their second language. The after school program has everything you'd want. My son came home from chess and said one of his chess friends went to Worlds to represent the U.S., how cool is that! If you're contemplating a commute into the City and living in FH, the E and F trains are straight shot and the lifestyle is more desirable. You won't be spending your time fighting City traffic to get out to the airports or Long Island. Many top executives live in FH who belong to the FH Tennis Club nearby and visit the yacht/golf clubs in LI.

Our experiences with PS 196 have been very positive. We have two children going to this school. Even though we're relatively new to the school, and can't speak for all teachers, all teachers we had with our 2 kids were great. They were very responsive to inquiries we had, either via class notes, or via e-mails, and very supportive and caring. When there were times that we needed to discuss with the teachers, they made time and met with us, despite their busy schedules. Principal Ms. Migliano is fair to all, encouraging and understanding, but at the mean time, she is strict and enforces disciplines. Assistant principal Ms. Koaz is warm and approachable. She always has sweet smile on her face. Parent teacher coordinator, Ms Maurer, is very responsive and helpful. The school runs a working parents friendly afterschool program, and Ms. Maria, who heads the afterschool program greatly understands those parents' need and difficulties making there on time for pickups on occasions. As for the yelling part, especially of the administrative staff, we've seen it outside of the classroom, and wish the school will work on that, and encourage the staff to give more loving and friendlier instructions to the kids.The workload of the teachers is huge, for one teacher teaches both math and ELA to 30+ kids througout the day, but this problem is beyond PS196.- A parent

PS196 This is a terrible school. All they care about is the state test. The learning process is deteriorating and there is minimal homework. The administration mismanages this place in a shameful manner