Berkeley Carroll School

P77K Goes there every Wednesday

After almost completing our first year of BC, we are very satisfied with the level of attention given to each student. These teachers and administrators really do get to know your child! The education teaches the whole child not just the academic child. The school has become and is becoming more academically rigorous while not loosing touch with their humanistic mission statement---the introduction of computer coding at first grade, a partial Spanish immersion program throughout all lower grades, and a new creative and rigorous math, technology, engineering program integrated at every level...we can see why the Independent School Association awarded BC the school of the future. The school has acquired and finished the renovation of two new buildings in the Park Slope helping creating a brand new lower school as well as an awesome performance hall.

We conducted an extensive search when we were choosing a middle school for our children and we could not be more thrilled with our choice of Berkeley Carroll. From the first acceptance letter, which is personalized for each student, I could tell that this was a school that would really know my child. It is a school that creates a safe environment where students can take risks, push themselves and try out new talents. As my daughter points out, there is no one Berkeley Carroll student and rare is the student that only does one thing; she is an athlete and an artist, a scientist and a writer, an actor and a debater. After such an incredible middle school experience we didn't think twice about keeping both of our children at BC for High School. The high school is incredibly rigorous and I have heard from many BC alum that they were well prepared for college life. My daughter has had the good fortune of participating in the Science Research and Design program, and is currently working with a doctoral student from Harvard on her research. The faculty is incredible, in both the middle and upper schools. They are brilliant, dedicated and truly love teaching. They push students to delve deeper and ask more questions.
In the six years that my two children have been a part of the school, they have (combined) been to Africa and Wyoming, they have (combined) played on basketball, softball, volleyball and swim teams, they are in the orchestra, community service society and yearbook and they have only participated in a fraction of what the school offers. I cannot imagine a better education for my children.

I highly recommend the Berkeley Carroll School, and not just for people looking for a great independent school in Brooklyn. Get to know the school and you'll see why Berkeley Carroll is among the best private schools in New York City. First, the faculty is top notch -- the teachers and administrators are extremely committed to their students, striving to nurture the best out of each kid in the classroom. They bring so much to their teaching -- and are interesting, bright, and intellectual. Second, the school program --including the curriculum -- is innovative. The lower school's curriculum melds visual arts, technology, music,dance, and science together with Enlish, Math, and collaborative learning opportunities to encourage young kids to be creative and analytical thinkers. The new Spanish immersion program is exciting. The Middle School is rigorous and challenging, with a strong emphasis on writing -- be it a 5-paragraph composition, science lab or creative writing -- and opportunities for young minds to fly in advanced Algebra. The Middle School faculty really understand the tween mind and are patient and supportive. The Upper School has a strong core curriculum along with innovative partnerships with NYU Polytechnic for engineering and Johns Hopkins for online classes in Arabic and Mandarin, and experiential learning opportunities to Costa Rica, India and Africa. Third, the facilities are amazing. There is huge athletic center with a 25m indoor pool. Swim is a regular part of the schedule for Lower School students. There are two gyms for the school's great sports teams. BC just completed an extensive building project which added state of the art classrooms, a huge cafeteria, and spacious student commons at the MS/US campus. The Lower School has newly renovated classrooms with large bay windows, an amazing library and garden.

Look, private school is expensive but you really get what you pay for with small class size, teachers who are available and engaged, and state of the art facilities in a great neighborhood. If you are comparing schools and tuition, make sure you are comparing apples to apples. BC's tuition is all inclusive, no extra fees for trips, meals, or school supplies. My kids have been at Berkeley Carroll for more than eight years now, and we have all been very happy.

Berkeley Carroll is an excellent all around school – the academics, arts and athletic offerings are all really strong so you don’t have to sacrifice in any area when you send your children there. My children have attended since pre-K and at that age, you don’t know what areas they will be most interested in or excel in so you want a school that is as consistently good as this one is. It's also an incredibly warm and nurturing place with a great sense of community. My children have attended for a total of 15 years and have not had a single teacher who we were not totally happy with. My oldest child is in 8th grade and we have heard only wonderful things about the high school. They have made a number of curriculum and design changes that we are very excited about, as well as having a variety of travel offerings in the upper school. The athletic center has a wonderful pool and both my kids learned to swim as part of their normal school day in Kindergarten. The school just finished renovations to two of the buildings that have beautiful new classroom and common space. All in all, a fantastic choice!