Brooklyn Environmental Exploration School (BEES)

Brooklyn Environmental Exploration School (BEES) is a small middle school in Brooklyn known for its nurturing, student-centered environment where students are encouraged to take academic and personal risks. The school places a strong emphasis on environmental exploration, offering over 50 school trips, including six overnight excursions to locations like Camp Ramapo, the New Victory Theater, and the Liberty Science Center. Parents express overwhelmingly positive sentiment, with 100% favorable responses in recent surveys. BEES also provides a robust extracurricular program encompassing sports, visual and performing arts, debate, and student government. While the school fosters a positive climate and strong family relationships, academic proficiency in ELA is below the citywide median, and math proficiency is near the bottom quartile. Student surveys indicate some concerns regarding bullying and physical altercations, though overall feelings of safety are generally positive. The school aims to develop inquiring, lifelong learners with deep critical thinking skills through hands-on activities and debates.