Roosevelt Island Schools Update

With the weather getting a little bit colder recently and the days getting slightly shorter, summer begins to recede and the upcoming school year comes closer to starting. I thought it might be a good time to revisit one of this blog's earliest post about a reader who was considering moving to Roosevelt Island but was concerned about the Island's schools. She writes:

My husband and I are considering moving to Roosevelt Island with our two kids. We are a bit concerned about schooling there, particularly with the influx of so many more residential units, and the desire to attract families. Would you know where I can get information about existing schools (size, capacity, etc.)and whhat plans they may have to keep up with this growth? Thank you.

The NYC Dept. of Education issued a Quality Report Review dated 1/22-23/07 of the Roosevelt Island school. The report states:

This elementary/intermediate school has 463 students on roll from pre-kindergarten
through grade 8. The majority of students are general education students, 8.4% are
special education students and 11.6% are English language learners.

The school’s population comprises of 41% Black and Native American, 15% White, 23%
Asian and 20% Hispanic students. The percent of enrollment of recent immigrants is three
times as high as New York City schools. The school has no Title 1 funding. Attendance at
the school was 92% in 2005 which is higher than New York City schools. The percent of
utilization of the school’s capacity is lower than that for similar schools. A challenge for the
school is to retain students through to eighth grade.

The overall evaluation of the school is:

This is an undeveloped school.

The principal and assistant principal are new in post and have begun to put procedures in
place which will improve student performance. They are committed to the Public School /
Intermediate School 217 community and recognize the challenges presented by the
uniqueness of Roosevelt Island and its diverse community. Already they have improved
communication and both staff and parents speak very positively of their work. They
recognize the difficulties of managing a transient population where families who work for
the permanent mission to the United Nations are part of the school for three years or less
and also the problems associated with students admitted and discharged at various times
throughout the school year. The school has some systems in place to track student
progress. These are particularly effective in identifying and meeting the needs of the
students who require the greatest support. The performance of subgroups of students is
not measured and there is underperformance by boys in both English language arts and
mathematics at grades four and eight, according to the 2005 School Report Card.

I have no personal knowledge or experience with school situation, either public or private, on Roosevelt Island but would welcome any thoughts or comments by those who do.