M.S. 51 William Alexander

Test scores here sit slightly above the District 15 average — 69.5% ELA versus 65.5% district-wide, and 64.3% math versus 63.3% — but they're down meaningfully from the pre-pandemic peak of 82% ELA in 2019. The school showed encouraging recovery in 2025, with both subjects gaining roughly 5+ percentage points from the prior year. Grade-level breakdown is remarkably consistent, ranging from 68-71% across grades 6-8 in ELA and 61-70% in math, suggesting steady instruction across the middle school years rather than a steep drop-off in eighth grade.

The survey data tells a nuanced story. Parents have exceptionally high trust in both teachers (91%) and the principal (97%), and they report 89% satisfaction with the school overall. Teachers give strong marks on instruction quality (87%). But there's a notable gap in how teachers view leadership — teacher-principal trust sits at just 67%, and teacher collegial trust is 72%. This isn't unusual for a school this size, but it's something to dig into during a tour. Discipline has improved significantly: suspensions dropped from 18 in 2021-22 to just 5 last year, a 72% reduction. Attendance is healthy at 94.2%, slightly above the district average.

With 1,077 students, M.S. 51 is one of the larger middle schools in District 15. The student body is diverse — 36% Hispanic, 27% White, 23% Asian, 10% Black — reflecting Park Slope's demographics while also pulling in families from surrounding neighborhoods. The diversity index of 80% is a real strength. About 22% of students have IEPs, and the school offers ELL support. The economic need index of 55.7% shows a meaningful chunk of students from higher-need households, even though the surrounding neighborhood is affluent.

Park Slope is a family-first neighborhood known for its brownstones, Prospect Park access, and strong education culture — the education orientation score of 93.87 reflects that. Transit options are excellent (79.31 score), making the school accessible from much of Brooklyn. The neighborhood skews affluent (median household income $191K, median home value $1.6M) but has pockets of economic diversity. Safety scores are moderate (37.16), typical for a densely populated urban area.

Very walkable for Park Slope families; excellent transit access for those coming from other parts of Brooklyn