City aims to replace shrinking M.S. 394 with dyslexia-focused school

November 15, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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CROWN HEIGHTS – THE CITY DEPARTMENT of Education is set to close M.S. 394 at the end of this school year, reports Chalkbeat, over a stiff dropoff in enrollment numbers and low test scores. The preschool – 8th grade school has posted a 36% reduction in student numbers over the last five years, while its student proficiency rates in math and reading are less than half the city average. The DoE says these numbers are related: since the drop in enrollment also means a drop in funding, the school can’t adequately serve a study body of just 200.

In M.S. 394’s place, the department has proposed a new 2nd-8th grade school that would target students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties, modeled after the public South Bronx Literacy Academy, which opened last year. The new school would be non-zoned and restricted to students assessed to have challenges. It would feature small class sizes, specialized educators, therapists and adaptive learning methods.

The city’s Panel for Educational Policy will meet on Dec. 18 to potentially approve the closure of M.S. 394 and the Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy plan. Enrollment would start next year with grades 2 and 3 and expand as the student body grows up.

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