The A. Fantis School of Saints Constantine and Helen Cathedral in Brooklyn has ranked as one of the top schools in New York, according to recent student achievement results on state exams.
Results from the 2022 NY State exams put A. Fantis in the top three percent of more than 1,300 elementary and middle schools in the Big Apple.
“We are thrilled that our students showed continued success and growth in spite of the pandemic’s challenges,” A. Fantis Principal Theodore Tasoulas told The Pappas Post. “In addition, we equally proud that our students’ academic achievement saw an increase of nearly 20% since the beginning of the pandemic.”
The A. Fantis School is a small, private and inclusive Greek school founded by Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral and serving PK3 to eighth-grade students for nearly 60 years in Brooklyn Heights.
Every year, A. Fantis students in grades 3-8 take the NYS exams in English and Math. State exam results provide annual anchor points that track overall school performance across the years and in the broader context of New York City.
“One of our core values is ‘paideia,’ which is the philosophy of attending to each child’s intellectual, social, physical, and moral refinement while using a blend of mostly intellectual coaching complemented with direct instruction and the Socratic method,” Tasoulas says. “Invented in Ancient Greece, this approach has been somewhat, though not fully, revived under the term ‘whole child education.'”
Tasoulas says that, while state exams remain important, the school’s focus on ‘paideia’ means that students cannot spend all day practicing for English and Math state exams; instead, daily schedules allow time time for movement, inquiry-based learning, collaboration and play with peers, establishing a connection with God and understanding what it means to be a good Christian.
“A. Fantis focuses its religious belief around two very simple concepts; that Jesus Christ is real in our children’s lives, and that He loves them,” Father Evagoras Constantinides, dean of the cathedral and an A. Fantis parent, says. “Everything, including daily prayers, bi-weekly chapel services, weekly religion classes and the overall sense of faith in the school are rooted around Christ’s love for us.”
A. Fantis maintains an average class size of 16 students with one glass per grade, granting many students more than a decade of their formative years together.
“Teachers are able to not only understand each student as a unique individual but spend more time with each one,” Tasoulas says. “In a large, bustling city like NY, Fantis students forge friendships that can last a lifetime.
Click here to read the 2022 NYS student achievement results.
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