PHYL'S ACADEMY PREP SCHOOL

Brooklyn families — particularly Black and multiracial families — looking for a small, nurturing Pre-K through fifth-grade school with a STEAM lean and modest tuition, where their child can be known by name by the entire staff.

• With just 138 students across Pre-K through fifth grade, Phyl's is genuinely small — most NYC private elementary schools are several times this size.
• Tuition is a flat $16,000, well below the typical NYC private elementary cost and refreshingly transparent with no sliding scale to decode.
• STEAM programming goes beyond the usual: coding, robotics, and maker spaces are core, and a Zumba class adds a distinctive physical-education twist.
• Both Early Childhood and Elementary School accreditation signal that the program meets recognized quality standards across the full grade range.
• Parents rate the school 4.88 out of 5, repeatedly describing it as a family-like environment with patient, kind teachers.

• The 17.5-to-1 student-teacher ratio is moderate for a private school — classes won't have the tiny, individualized feel of schools advertising 8-to-1 or 10-to-1.
• A tiny enrollment means broader programming than typical small schools, but fewer electives, sports teams, and peer cohorts than larger privates can offer.
• The flat $16,000 tuition is a clear number, but with no financial aid mentioned, families should ask the school directly whether assistance is available.
• The July 31 application deadline is later than many NYC private schools — useful for families making late decisions, but worth marking on the calendar now.
• East Flatbush-Farragut is a working- and middle-class area, which keeps the setting grounded but means families commuting from Manhattan or farther Brooklyn should plan around subway travel time.