Tompkins Square Middle School in New York, New York on DonorsChoose

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Many of them can be incentivized to get to reading more easily with the promise of a fun/cozy/comfortable space to read in. \r\n\r\nFrom the moment we opened the chairs, students were scrambling to be the lucky handful to get to sit in them for a particular reading period. They were so popular, we made a \"green chair priority\" list for students who actually sat and read quietly the day before. Students who would otherwise \"pretend read\" or ask to go to the bathroom twice during reading time suddenly got into their books. We were thrilled that something so simple was such a huge motivation. Thank you for making a difference in our classroom!","fullyFundedDate":1744898656874,"projectUrl":"project/help-6th-graders-curl-up-with-a-good-boo/9037504/","projectTitle":"Help 6th Graders Curl Up With a Good Book","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Nico","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3726916_orig.png?crop=1078,1078,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1754829609446","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-shiu"},{"teacherId":7382882,"projectId":8461434,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous support, our classroom was transformed with the addition of color ink! What might seem like a small change has made a big difference in how my 6th graders engaged with their learning. With access to color printing, they created vivid, professional-looking projects that reflect their effort, creativity, and understanding.\r\n\r\nWhat excites my students most is the chance to see their work come alive. They're incredibly proud when they see their projects printed in full color—it makes their efforts feel real and valued. One student, in particular, who normally shies away from class presentations, was thrilled to share her color-printed research project with the class. \r\nThe bright visuals helped her feel confident and in control, and her classmates were genuinely impressed. This project has opened doors for expression, collaboration, and pride in learning that simply weren't possible with black-and-white materials. Thank you again for making this possible!","fullyFundedDate":1723306649564,"projectUrl":"project/color-ink/8461434/","projectTitle":"Color Ink!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Maginnis","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7382882_orig.jpg?crop=2204,2204,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1751972181402","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7382882"},{"teacherId":3726916,"projectId":8956067,"letterContent":"Have you ever seen a group of 11 year-olds so excited to borrow books that they can't sit still? It's an amazing thing. A big box of books arrived during one of our independent reading periods and I couldn't restrain myself from opening it up and exploring its contents. At first no one noticed. I gave an excited yip and a few students looked my way and saw I was holding several copies of a book I had recently done a book talk on. 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About this school

Tompkins Square Middle School is an urban public school in New York, New York that is part of New York City Dept Of Ed. It serves 291 students in grades 6 - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 10.0:1. Its teachers have had 79 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Title 1

Grades 6 - 8

291 Students

29 Teachers

600 E 6th St

New York, NY 10009 View local requests

http://www.tsmsonline.org

Evidence-based impact

Inspire teachers to stay in the classroom and boost student achievement.¹

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY

Tompkins Square Middle School Teachers on DonorsChoose

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. Each classroom request for funding was created by a classroom teacher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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Tompkins Square Middle School Demographics

68%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

78%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

Tompkins Square Middle School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Dec 5, 2025

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.