Philippa Schuyler Middle School

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Philippa Schuyler Middle School for the Gifted and Talented
Motto	To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required
Type	Public Middle School
Principal	Barbara Sanders
Faculty	approx. 72
Students	approx. 1,300
Grades	5-8
Location	1300 Greene Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Colors	gray and white
Athletics	Schuyler Storm
Website	http://www.philippaschuyler.org/

IS #383 Philippa Schuyler Middle School for the Gifted and Talented is a New York City Department of Education Public Middle School. The school is located in the Bushwick part of Brooklyn. Admission to this school is by competitive examination, unlike many public Middle Schools in New York City. The school serves grades 5-8. Philippa Schuyler is noted for its academics and high scoring on standardized examinations. The school's namesake is the child prodigy and pianist Philippa Schuyler. The school is ranked one of the best middle schools in the city. It is the #2 school on the top 3 middle schools in NYC list after Mark Twain Middle School, and before Bay Academy Middle School. The School is featured in the book "New York City's Best Public Middle Schools" by Marcia Biederman. The school was also one of the 209 Successful Public Schools exempted from the citywide uniform curriculum mandated in 2003. Many of the school's graduates qualify for admission to New York City's Specialized High Schools or are accepted to private prep schools such as Phillips Andover Academy.

[edit] Entrance Examination

Students must score 108 points or higher on a multiple-choice examination that tests a students' abilities in math and reading/writing. The exam is offered on four or five Saturdays from December to March, and it can be taken in Spanish. Students can enter the school from grades 5-7, but most students enter in the sixth grade. The test that they use is the OLSAT, which uses a gifted rating scale.

[edit] Classes

The middle school has many subjects, from the normal Math, History, and English, to elective subjects such as Health, Consumer Science, Band/Orchestra, Dance, Steel Pan, Drama and Chorus. The school has a strong Foreign Languages department, and offers courses in French and Spanish. The school formerly had a German course, but the course has been dropped recently. All of the classes at Philippa Schuyler work at a fairly high standard, rivaling that of many high schools in New York City.