P.S. 397 is located in the Crown 
Heights section of Brooklyn. It was 
built as an open space school. There 
are four large complexes which house 3-
4 classes each. There are no walls 
between classes. P.S. 397 serves grades 
1-5 and is comprised of an ethnically 
diverse population with a majority of 
the students being African American and 
Caribbean American. The instructional 
program is based on the New York State 
and City Curricula. The focus is on the 
4 core subject areas: Literacy, Math, 
Social Studies and Science. These core 
subjects are complemented by 
Technology, Art and Music.