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Look Beyond Favorites to Up-and-Coming Schools in the Neighborhood

Julie Shapiro

By Julie Shapiro on February 12, 2013 6:19am

 
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NEW YORK — When young families move to Park Slope, many try to find an apartment near the sought-after P.S. 321, one of the highest performing public elementary schools in the city.

But with median home prices in the P.S. 321 zone hovering just under $1 million, according to StreetEasy, some families inevitably discover that they can't afford an apartment in the tony brownstone neighborhood.

“People call from Manhattan, and all they’ve heard about is P.S. 321,” said Judith Lief, an associate broker at Warren Lewis Sotheby's International. "The first thing I do is say, 'There are other schools in the neighborhood — why don’t you check them out?'"

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It's a dilemma parents face all across the city: How much are you willing or able to spend to live in a neighborhood zoned for a big-name public school? And how much are you willing to risk by sending your kids to an up-and-coming school that may have lower test scores or a smaller budget?

Joyce Szuflita, who founded NYC School Help and advises families on public and private school admissions, frequently helps parents negotiate those tradeoffs.

"Many of them say, 'Of course we've heard about [P.S.] 321 and other strong programs, but we can't afford an apartment there, or there are no properties available,'" Szuflita said. "'We like that neighborhood — what are the options?'"

Szuflita closely tracks up-and-coming schools in Brooklyn's more affordable neighborhoods, noting which ones have a new, progressive principal and which ones have received grants to launch enrichment programs.

A school's reputation — and the surrounding real estate prices — can take years to catch up to the school's quality, which means there are plenty of good deals available for those willing to go out on a limb, experts say.