MAURICE SENDAK COMMUNITY SCHOOL (THE) vs PS 32 SAMUEL MILLS SPROLE

PS 32 Samuel Mills Sprole and Maurice Sendak Community School sit 0.7 miles apart in Brooklyn, yet their statewide standing differs meaningfully. Maurice Sendak ranks #25 of 4,739 schools in New York, placing it in the top 1% statewide, while PS 32 Samuel Mills Sprole ranks #42 of 4,739 — still an exceptional position, but 17 spots back. Their overall ratings are nearly identical at 9.1 versus 9.2 out of 10, so the real differences emerge in the underlying category scores rather than the headline number.

Academically, Maurice Sendak holds a clear edge: its academic score of 9.2/10 outpaces PS 32 Samuel Mills Sprole's 8.6/10, a 0.6-point gap that reflects stronger proficiency outcomes on state assessments. The growth picture flips, however. PS 32 Samuel Mills Sprole posts a growth score of 9.6/10 compared to Maurice Sendak's 9.5/10 — a negligible difference, but it signals that PS 32 is pushing students forward at a rate that nearly matches one of Brooklyn's top academic performers. Families prioritizing absolute achievement will lean toward Maurice Sendak; those who value year-over-year student progress have reason to look closely at PS 32.

The two schools serve noticeably different populations. PS 32 Samuel Mills Sprole enrolls 448 students — more than double Maurice Sendak Community School's 199 — and its free and reduced-price lunch rate of 39% is roughly twice Maurice Sendak's 19%. The student-teacher ratio also diverges: PS 32 offers 8.3 students per teacher versus Maurice Sendak's 11.7:1, meaning PS 32 students get more adult attention per classroom despite the larger overall enrollment. Both figures are well below typical public school averages, but PS 32's ratio is the stronger of the two.

One structural difference is worth noting for younger children: PS 32 Samuel Mills Sprole accepts students starting in pre-K, while Maurice Sendak Community School begins at kindergarten. Families seeking a pre-K placement within the same building as the elementary years have only one option here.