PS 234 Independence School - New York, NY

PS 234 is a NYC public school in the heart of the Tribeca neighborhood in lower Manhattan. As a social studies focused school, we believe that students learn best through posing deep questions and using primary sources to investigate, research and learn. We use the city as our classroom and engage in rigorous inquiry. Watch third graders build understanding for how the Brooklyn Bridge was built by conducting caisson experiments. Or our first graders understand Urban Farming by creating a vertical growing station. We believe that students learn best when there is not always one path to the right answer, and that growth occurs through taking risks, making mistakes, and finding joy in the process.

Our community has a deep commitment to nurturing the whole child as students grow through our school. We develop and embrace curricula that appreciate diversity, empathy, and responsibility for self and others. From the moment they walk through our doors, students learn to care for their community through building rules together and working collaboratively. Our Book of the Month project creates the opportunity for the whole school to engage in discussion about one featured picture book with themes related to respect, kindness, understanding, and an appreciation of individual differences.

We are proud of the work we do to prepare our students as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, artists, community builders, and citizens. This balanced program creates student independent thinkers who are ready to continue their educational journeys and engage with the world around them with confidence.