Why New York School Numbers Don’t Quite Add Up
The four P.S. 1’s in New York City, clockwise, from upper left: The Bronx; Tottenville, Staten Island; Brooklyn and Manhattan.
By ANNA M. PHILLIPS
Published: September 7, 2011
In the beginning, there was Public School 1. Then it got messy.
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There are actually four P.S. 1’s in New York City: That first school, established in 1806 and later named for Alfred E. Smith (Manhattan); the Courtlandt School (the Bronx); the Bergen (Brooklyn); and Tottenville (Staten Island). Plus, of course, the P.S. 1 in Long Island City, Queens, which once was the first school in that borough, and now houses a contemporary-art museum. There are also three P.S. 2’s, three P.S. 3’s and four P.S. 4’s.
In a system of 1,700 schools, the numbering can be dizzying. If someone tells you her