Goldfish Swim School - Garden City

About

Goldfish Swim School - Garden City, located at 650 Stewart Ave Suite 25, Garden City, NY 11530, is a premier swim school dedicated to teaching water safety and swimming skills to children of all ages. It offers a unique, play-based learning environment with small class sizes and highly trained instructors, focusing on a shiver-free, family-friendly experience.

The pools at Goldfish Swim School - Garden City are consistently maintained at a comfortable 90 degrees Fahrenheit, ensuring a warm and inviting environment for all swimmers.

What are people saying (AI review summary)? The reviews present a largely positive but somewhat mixed perspective on the swim school. Many parents highly recommend it, praising the significant and rapid progress their children make in learning to swim, often transforming hesitant toddlers into confident swimmers. Instructors are consistently highlighted as wonderful, nice, patient, kind, helpful, passionate, and professional, effectively engaging children through creative methods and individualized attention. The heated pool, small class sizes, and a focus on 'the science of play' are frequently cited as key benefits. Facilities are generally described as clean, and staff as courteous, with the school teaching an important life skill. However, some concerns were raised regarding consistency. There were reports of inconsistent coaching staff and frequent substitutes, which impacted continuity and trust. One reviewer experienced a traumatic incident with a substitute instructor (who is no longer with the company) and noted that classes sometimes ended earlier than the scheduled time. Additionally, pool staff occasionally seemed unsure when answering basic questions, especially concerning makeup classes. While management reportedly addresses concerns, improvements don't always last, and issues can recur. Despite these inconsistencies, the school is acknowledged for ultimately teaching children to swim, though some reviewers felt the premium pricing did not always align with the level of consistency experienced.

Location

Gallery

Amenities

• Accepts Credit Cards
• Accessible Entrance
• Accessible Restroom

Reviews

Listing Reviews

August 17th, 2025

Delano Subaxon

Took my son there for swim lessons and he’s been doing great. The staff is wonderful, the instructors are very nice, patient and helpful with tips on how I can help my child with his learning process. He’s very happy and he is progressing well. Highly recommended.

September 16th, 2025

Heather Louise

Take your fussy toddler here! So happy we found this swim school. My 2.5yo did swim classes at a rec center for almost 2 years and barely made any progress and often didn't want to participate. Did a trial at a different swim school close to home and he still wasn't interested. Then we did a trial at Goldfish Garden City, and in one class I think he "swam" more than in 2 yrs of other lessons, enjoyed it and began learning techniques. I want him to be able to save himself first and foremost, and of course to also enjoy swimming. The science of play (did I get that right?) is a game changer as is the heated pool, small classes, and instructors focus on each individual child's needs. 4 classes in now LO is improving more than I've ever seen and I think he can almost do a little stroke on his own. He looks forward to class, wants to get right into the pool, and is laughing and having a ball more than half the time. He's still feisty and not always listening but the instructors have creative ways to keep their interest. I've never seen him participate so much. So we drive 30 minutes to and from class, for a 30 minute class, because it's worth it. Just try it.

July 13th, 2025

Adeline Mucci

My granddaughters have been taking swimming lessons under the direction of Alexander Sarbanes and I can confidently say he is outstanding at what he does. He is passionate, knowledgeable, and highly professional. It’s clear he truly cares about the kids’ progress and safety in the water. His energy and positive attitude make every session something my granddaughters look forward to. They’ve grown so much in their confidence and skills, and I’m incredibly grateful for his dedication and encouragement. Highly recommend!

April 28th, 2025

K D

Very happy with the school. The place is clean, the staff are courteous, and the instructors are patient and kind. My daughter has made tremendous progress during the time she was here. It took her a little bit over a year and a half from not knowing how to swim at all into swim force. She was 7 when she started. And this was with her taking some time off (about 2.5months) because she unfortunately broke her arm. I can see the difference in her swimming compared to her friends who casually swim and are not goldfish trained. She is stronger in swimming and has better form. Thank you Goldfish for teaching my daughter an important life skill!!!!

August 18th, 2025

Michelle Gilbert

We’ve been members of this swim school during two separate periods—In 2018 and then again starting in 2024. Over the years, we’ve had multiple children enrolled, from the infant classes all the way up to the “swim team” level. While the program does help children learn to swim and most of the staff are friendly, our overall experience has been mixed. One of the biggest issues we've encountered is the inconsistency of the coaching staff. There is frequent substitutes, which makes it hard for kids to build trust and continuity with their instructors. One of the substitute coaches held our 3-year-old’s head under water repeatedly as part of a lesson which scared him so much that he didn’t want to return for over a month. It then took a month of 1:1 lessons and lots of reassurance to get him back into the pool. That instructor is no longer with this company. We’ve also noticed that classes often end early—our children are regularly released around the 25-minute mark, despite paying for a full 30-minute session. Additionally, the pool staff often seem unsure when asked basic questions, which contributes to a lack of confidence in the overall organization. This has been our case every time we schedule a makeup class, the coaches are always confused, even though it was scheduled a week in advance and part of their protocol. All of these concerns we've raised with management have been addressed at the time. However, improvements don’t always seem to last, and the issues tend to recur. In the end, we do believe this school will teach your child to swim, and we appreciate the staff’s friendliness, however, given the premium pricing, we hoped for a more consistent and high-quality experience—something that, unfortunately, has not been our experience.