Packer Collegiate Institute

Lower School · Grade 4

A chain reaction in fourth grade

Fourth graders at Packer build Rube Goldberg machines: deliberately roundabout chain reactions that put Newton's laws of motion, simple machines, and circuits to work in one device. Second graders have already practiced a plan, build, test, and improve cycle, so the fourth-grade version is the same habit with more links to retest.

Ages 3–5

Play, with growing routines

Preschool and kindergarten share the Early Learning Center. PreK3 and PreK4 classrooms each have three teachers, and kindergarten has two.

Children learn through play, with academic routines added gradually.

Explicit phonics arrives in kindergarten through UFLI Foundations, building on the sound and print work of PreK.

Grades 1–4

Lower School in the Garden House

Lower School classrooms have two full-time teachers, with math and literacy specialists alongside. The program combines phonics with an emphasis on mathematical concepts and inquiry-based science, and teachers lead more than 100 field trips a year.

Since 2025, the division has been based in the Garden House, with a dedicated floor for each grade.

Grades 5–8

Fifth through eighth grade

In fifth and sixth grade, English and history are taught together as one humanities class. Math and science are built around inquiry, with hands-on lab work in every science unit.

By seventh and eighth grade, students take on more responsibility and independence, with more than 20 clubs, student government, theater, and athletic teams around the school day.

Grades 9–12

Physics first, and Advanced Topics

Science starts with physics in ninth grade; six semesters of science are required to graduate.

Advanced Topics, or AT, is Packer's own alternative to Advanced Placement, with more than 20 courses; one example is archival research at the Center for Brooklyn History. Selective programs such as English Scholars require sustained high achievement and a defended project.

Department heads decide who enters Advanced Topics, and juniors are advised to take no more than two AT or advanced courses, seniors three. Taking more requires dean and division-head approval.

Support

Support, and what it can replace

Packer's learning-support team works across divisions with specialists, psychologists, counselors, and nurses, and teaches students directly. In the Upper School, writing, math, and science centers offer faculty help and peer tutoring, and accommodations on school and ACT or College Board exams run through the school.

In fifth and sixth grade, Literacy Lab and Math Lab classes follow the core curriculum, and the specialist also joins core classes; seventh and eighth grade continue with Literacy Lab and math support. In grades 6–8, a language waiver may be possible, with support taking its place; it is not automatic.

In the Upper School, a student with a full evaluation recommending it can request a language waiver and is expected to replace the course with another academic course. It is not automatic, and ninth graders are asked to enroll in a language first.

The day

Getting there, and the long day

There is no private bus. The Borough Hall subway station is at the end of the block, and many families carpool.

Early drop-off at 8 a.m. is free from PreK4 on. PreK3 has none and a shorter day, with an optional extended day.

Paid aftercare begins in kindergarten and runs to at least 6 p.m. through Packer+. Middle school has a proctored study hall until 6 p.m., and the Upper School a supervised area until 7 p.m.

Admissions

Getting in

Packer lists PreK3, kindergarten, fifth and ninth grade as entry points, but says fifth-grade availability depends on openings. Other grades accept applications as space permits, except twelfth.

A limited number of PreK3 applicants are invited to a playgroup after review. Kindergarten families schedule a parent interview and a separate playgroup once the application is in.

For fifth and ninth grade, the ISEE or SSAT is required and viewed equally, and teacher evaluations cannot be completed or submitted before October 21 or by anyone who has taught the child under eight weeks.

For fall 2027, the parent application is due at 4 p.m. on November 20, 2026. The $100 fee is waived for aid applicants with the code FAwaiver.

Files for kindergarten, fifth, and ninth grade close January 8, 2027; many fifth- and ninth-grade pieces are due by noon.

Cost and aid

Cost and financial aid

For 2026–27, combined tuition and fees are $43,040 for PreK3, $60,430 for PreK4, $63,330 for kindergarten through grade 2, $64,780 for grades 3–4, and $65,275 for grades 5–12; lunch (from grade 3) and laptops (from grade 5) are included. Figures for 2027–28 were not yet posted.

Aid is need-based and available from kindergarten through grade 12, not PreK. Prospective families apply through Clarity by January 8, 2027; incomplete applications are not considered.

Returning families renew each November 1.

Packer says admission decisions are made independently of aid awards, though aid requests can exceed its resources.

Three details change what a family files:

• Separated parents: every custodial and non-custodial parent completes the application and tax documents; if one is solely responsible, that needs documentation.
• Non-working parent: Packer imputes a salary for a non-working, employable parent when children are over five.
• Enrolling without applying: expect no aid application in the first three years unless circumstances change significantly.

Public record

One dated item on the public record

On October 24, 2024, the Brooklyn District Attorney announced an indictment of Nicolas Morton, a former Packer head coach who also ran a travel baseball team, over allegations of sexual abuse of players during travel team practices. The release says Packer ended the coach's employment in August 2024.

An indictment is an accusation, not proof of guilt. We could not verify a current court outcome for this review.

Phonics, Labs and reporting concerns at Packer

Ask how early phonics is taught, how students are placed in Literacy or Math Lab, and how a concern about an adult would be handled.