best 2-br in best school zone?

You can do Carroll Gardens in PS 29 district.

If you are willing to travel further out, there's a school on the south side of Brooklyn, PS 254. The school is top notch, competes with PS 321. Always comes out in top 10 in Brooklyn. The issue is that it's in Sheepshead Bay. Midtown in 45 min-1 hr. For that price, you can get a huge house close to the train and some rental income. The good thing is that you will have plenty of shopping and walking distance to the beach.

On the Upper West Side, some of the lesser coops in the PS87 and PS199 catchments are dipping into the $850K range for a 2BR. Examples include 2166 Broadway (small, charmless apartments) and 315 West 70th (larger, charmless apartments). Keep an eye on Schwab House, a nicer building where viewless 2BRs are approaching your price point. If you don't need a doorman, there are more options. Walkups add more choices, but not having an elevator is generally a problem for families with young children.

Forgot to mention Lincoln Towers. Good space, nice playground. Maintenance is on the high side.

I think Manhattan is still out--even for distressed sales. Maybe if you waited a bit longer, things might come down further...but who knows. If you are concerned about schools, Queens is a far better pick than Brooklyn.

District 26, Bayside, has consistently been rated among the very best public schools in NYC (often beating the best Manhattan public schools). You basically can't go wrong in District 26, from k to 12. Another area parents seem to like a lot is Flushing. It is totally unexpected (at least to me), but Flushing schools have been doing great in the recent years and many families are moving there from the city (it's a 20-min ride on LIRR or 7 Express train).

There may be some good areas in Brooklyn (especially with the recent surge in the # of young professional families living there), but we usually don't hear Brooklyn in discussing good school districts. The reality is probably that most of their public schools enjoy tremendous socioeconomic diversity (because low-income housing is scattered throughout the borough). Such diversity, while providing rich developmental experiences for the kids, usually do not translate into good public schools, unfortunately... All of my friends there send their kids to private/parochial schools.

http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/376426-coop-345-east-73rd-street-upper-east-side-new-york

i think the UES is doable. i don't know what is happening with the yorkville school situation. divvie might be more current on that. but there are a number of really good elementary schools on the UES. at that price you might not be getting tons of charm, but you could probably get a fair amount of space and work with it over time.

nyc212, i too have heard good things about a number of queens schools, and not just the ones you'd expect.

Manhattan: UES, Murray Hill, UWS - maybe even Tribeca. Village is still pricey.
Bk: I've heard good things about PS8(?), South Slope, Windsor Terrace, Sunset Park, Cobble Hill schools. I think best bang for buck in latter areas would be to buy a townhouse with income rentals, if you can swing it. I left out PS as you don't like it.
Qns: Little Neck, Bayside, Forest Hill, Flushing, LIC.
I don't know anything about SI or Bx public schools.

gramercy has a good school, but there's not much inventory.

in looking i did find the following, which although clearly riddled with errors is one of the funniest listing histories i've ever seen. and all for the luxury of living next to Tempo as it's being constructed and down the street from Starck with its new highfalutin' McDonalds and having a couple of empty retail spaces in your building.

http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/451000-condop-312-east-23rd-street-gramercy-park-new-york
06/30/2005 Previous Sale recorded for $340,000.
11/23/2005 Previously Listed in StreetEasy by Citi-Habitats at $389,900.
08/24/2006 Citi-Habitats Listing sold.
08/24/2006 Previous Sale recorded for $381,500.
09/19/2007 Previously Listed in StreetEasy by Bellmarc at $1,150,000.
04/25/2008 Previously Listed in StreetEasy by Citi-Habitats at $525,000.
06/17/2008 Bellmarc Listing sold. Last priced at $995,000.
10/28/2008 Citi-Habitats Listing is no longer available. Last priced at $439,000.
03/19/2009 Previously Listed in StreetEasy by Citi-Habitats at $400,000.
08/01/2009 Citi-Habitats Listing is no longer available.
09/02/2009 Listed in StreetEasy by Halstead Property at $949,500.

BPC is zoned for a good school but the land-lease issues make it a no-go for me (as far as purchases go).

you can most definitely get a 2 bed in Gramercy in your budget. I paid about that during the boom (albeit 1 bathroom) in a doorman building (post war but not charmless). I could go on and on about how great this neighborhood is but one unique thing I've noticed (and AR please contradict me if necessary since you are much more aware and educated on these things) is that not only is the elementary school good but the local middle school which has an amazingly diverse student body and seems to be a pleasant and effective place of learning.

http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/449684-coop-301-east-22nd-street-gramercy-park-new-york

that's the only listing i can find now. but yes, with some time, you should be able to get a unit in the PS40 catchment in your price range. prices are finally moving down here, and it's been a fairly rapid descent. i think there are two middle school options? one G&T? interestingly i walked past a building recently that i had thought would become new condos, on second avenue across from the PS/MS. the sign on the building indicated it was department of education. that would be a wonderful development. AH indicated on another thread that he has young relatives at that MS, but I think he was talking about the science program?

http://insideschools.org/index12.php?fs=43&str=Middle%20Schools;%2010010&formtype=location

i believe there is a different criteria for the science program, which would be the selective portion of the school.

http://insideschools.org/index12.php?fs=59&str=Middle%20Schools;%20Manhattan&formtype=location

Salk science.

I really thank everyone for this help!

hi. we are in district 14 in North williamsburg which also includes Greenpoint and have several great and not overcrowded options. look at: 132, 31, 34 and the prek and dual language (french and spanish) at PS 84. ours is in the pre-k at 84 - one of the city's best pre-ks. excellent facilities for the younger kids - art room, private playground, their own gym, etc... ignore demographics you read online - everything is changing daily in our area. 84 says primarily poor hispanic, but in my kid's class - only 1 out 16 - all the other kids have the yuppie or creative parents that you'd expect from the gentrifiers.

overall, extremely strong parent's community - check out the yahoo group brooklybabyhui. nice nice people.

mccarren park has seen tons of trees added and lots of great renovations, and the 50 million pool renovation is underway. the entire riverfront is being done for the public which is great too. there are several other playgrounds, indoor pool on Bedford, McGolrick Park, Greenpoint Y has preschool, prek and summer camp for all ages, lot's of other kid's classes, etc... Painted cloud art center does pick up and afterschool for PS 132 and Ms. J's gymnastics and dance does pick up and afterschool for PS 84. We do that program, and it's terrific and reasonably priced. Ms. J's is a pretty great place in general.

the middle school 577? i want to say? is in a terrific old building, and I have heard good things. a neighbor's daughter attends, and she apparently loves it.

in your price range, imagine you get a tax abated, condo with the works and probably outdoor space.

good luck.

fyi PS 31 just won the national blue ribbon award - it's a magnet school that starts full time in K.