BYA vs. BY 18th Avenue vs Bnos Yisroel

amother

Seafoam

Fri, Oct 07 2016, 11:10 am

We will soon be applying for DD for elementary school for next year and would like to know more about these 3 schools. For reference, we live in Flatbush and DS goes the Cheder. We are fairly yeshivish, but also value education.

DD is quite bright and we want a school with decent academics, but we also want a warm environment in which she will thrive and blossom. We would prefer to avoid overly large class sizes and excessive emphasis on materialism and brand names. I've read past threads on these schools, but would like some updated information. Could somebody familiar with these schools comment on their experiences and recommendations? Also, what are the typical yeshivos to which parents in each of them send their sons?

Also, I know that they can be quite difficult to get into, so tips for getting in and what each school is looking for in terms of the interview and references would be greatly appreciated! And if anybody knows the sibling situation for any of them for next year, please share that as well.

amother

Magenta

Fri, Oct 07 2016, 12:35 pm

Are you only limited to these schools? FWIU only BY 18th Avenue can be considered a warm school.. and it's literally impossible to get into. They only have one class.

amother

Seafoam

Sat, Oct 08 2016, 8:52 pm

Thanks for your reply. I realized that when I originally posted, I listed the wrong school as our 3rd choice, which I've now corrected.

Are there other schools that you think we should consider? From the research I've done, I don't think that we would fit into the crowds at Masores, Lev, BY D'Rav Meir, or Prospect, and BY of BP is so far from our house that we don't want DD to be on the bus for so long each day. Which leaves us with BYA, BY of 18th Avenue, and B'nos Yisroel.

Any other feedback on these 3, and tips for getting in, would be greatly appreciated.

amother

Coral

Sat, Oct 08 2016, 9:51 pm

Honestly, I think you should apply to all 3 and if you get into more than one, you'll decide. All of them are pretty hard to get into without pull. Any connections you can think of, use them! I applied to all 3 a few years ago and got into my first choice BH. One never even gave us an interview and one said no room.

pgk

Sun, Oct 09 2016, 12:29 am

Bya is a great school academically and has a very nice parent body. As for warmth- not so much. By 18th ave- would imagine it being a warm school as it's very small but at the same time they work very much with the typical mainstream child and do not want to have to deal with any child who may have any issues that arise. Bnos yisroel may not be the best academically but definitely scores points for warmth- good luck!!

amother

Seafoam

Sun, Oct 09 2016, 12:29 pm

Thanks for confirming our initial impressions. Our top 2 choices are definitely BYA and BY of 18th Avenue. We will definitely apply to both and would be quite happy to get into either. We do have some connections in both schools that we will certainly pursue.

As far as the schools themselves, how much more academic is BYA, and how much warmer and more yeshivish is BY of 18th Avenue? I've also heard that BYA is somewhat more into brand names, etc. - is this accurate? Any other notable differences between them that we should consider?

As far as getting in, does anybody know the # of available slots for next year after accounting for siblings? And what is each school looking for in prospective parents ($, yeshivishkeit, etc.)?

amother

Orange

Sun, Oct 09 2016, 6:38 pm

amother wrote:

from what I understand 18th ave is more yeshivish, fathers either in kollel or rebbeim. bya is very academic and from what I have seen the girls work very hard. 18th ave ends at 3:15 until fifth grade. from what I have seen they do not have a lot of homework.

octopus

Sun, Oct 09 2016, 6:57 pm

amother wrote:

for real?

funkygirl

Sun, Oct 09 2016, 7:25 pm

You mentioned that your daughter is very bright bh, so it sounds like BYA would be a great choice for her as it's known to be high in academics. Hatzlacha rabba with your decision

amother

Orange

Sun, Oct 09 2016, 8:24 pm

funkygirl wrote:

You mentioned that your daughter is very bright bh, so it sounds like BYA would be a great choice for her as it's known to be high in academics. Hatzlacha rabba with your decision

just something to think about. I have a very bright daughter who loves learning however she hates homework and working very hard.

amother

Seafoam

Sun, Oct 09 2016, 8:52 pm

amother wrote:

I've heard that there's a big difference in homework, but 3:15 until 5th grade sounds really early! What time does BYA get out?

And does anybody else have anything to add on the differences between them, and advice regarding getting in for next year?

amother

Orange

Sun, Oct 09 2016, 8:53 pm

amother wrote:

bya starts at 8:45 and I believe they get out at 4

devorah1231

Sun, Oct 09 2016, 9:12 pm

I went to by18 for elementary school and bya hs. By18 was very academic when I was there. We all studied hard. We had plenty of homework. When I went to hs I was shocked with how little homework I had. From what I heard from classmates, the elementary school is much harder.

Re warmth, I agree with previous posters. I watched the bya elementary school principal and I think my principal was much warmer, but you probably always have that with smaller schools.

Something else to think about is I heard the school is changing as the principal may be moving to lkwd, or at least part time.

And NOT TRUE about parents types! Its a real mix in 18th ave! Definitely not MO though.

Last edited by devorah1231 on Sun, Oct 09 2016, 9:14 pm; edited 1 time in total

mommyfirst

Sun, Oct 09 2016, 9:44 pm

Have a daughter in BYA , in a younger elementary grade. No brand name issues at all. Maybe she's too young. But most of her classmates don't seem posh at all.

pgk

Sun, Oct 09 2016, 10:10 pm

Don't think you'll see muchc of a difference as far as brand names from school to school- every school had their "have" and "have-nots". I would definitely by 18th caters to a more yeshivish crowd on a whole although obviously there are exceptions. You probably need more pull to get into 18th ave too probably because bya is bigger they have a few more slots but really depends on the year

Twizzlers

Sun, Oct 09 2016, 10:13 pm

pgk wrote:

Bnos yisroel may not be the best academically but definitely scores points for warmth- good luck!!

Im not sure where you got this info from. OP, I am a bnos yisroel elementary school graduate. I went elsewhere for high school, and let me just say that I was ahead of most of the other girls academically, because of what I learned in Bnos. I also had the same experience when I went to a top seminary in israel. My knowledge and understanding of hebrew gave me a serious leg up.
Warmth over there is amazing, its like one big family.
But the classes are large, and the building is small and cramped.

My daughter is now in first grade there, and bh we are happy.

amother

Seafoam

Sun, Oct 09 2016, 11:59 pm

Life123 wrote:

Something else to think about is I heard the school is changing as the principal may be moving to lkwd, or at least part time.

I'm confused - Rebbetzin Blau is moving to Lakewood? Or Rebbetzin Ziemba? And when is this happening? And who's taking over?

amother

Linen

Mon, Oct 10 2016, 12:56 am

Two tips:

If you have a family connection (husbands rebbe, or rosh kollel, etc) place a call for you, you're more likely to get an application, and to not just be told that they're full when you call.

Secondly, act fast. Last year, bnos yisrael and by 18th ave were both full by the first of december.