East New York Elementary School of Excellence

Both ELA (35.9%) and math (37.6%) proficiency sit comfortably below the District 19 averages of roughly 49% and 48%, and the overall score of 1.47/4 trails the district's 1.94. But the trend line tells a different story than the static snapshot suggests: ELA proficiency nearly doubled in one year, jumping from 19.7% in 2024 to 35.9% in 2025, while math climbed from 30.3% to 37.6%. After years stuck in the 15–25% range, this is the school's strongest performance on record. The gains are concentrated in the lower grades — 3rd graders hit 51% in ELA and 54.9% in math, while 5th grade ELA sits at just 23.5% — suggesting early instruction is finally translating into test results, with the upper grades still catching up.

The day-to-day feel here is unusually positive for a school with this academic profile. Teachers rate instruction at 97%, teacher-reported safety at 100%, and trust in colleagues at 100% — all well above the District 19 averages of around 88% and 92%. Parents return the warmth: 94% are satisfied (district average 91%), and both parent-teacher and parent-principal trust sit at 98%. The school suspended zero students in 2023-24 and only one student in the previous year, an exceptionally calm discipline record. Attendance at 90.2% is slightly above the district average of 89.9%, but chronic absenteeism at 60.2% is high — a meaningful gap between families who show up most days and a large group whose kids miss significant school. Asian students are notably more chronically absent (78.3%) than Black (55.6%) or Hispanic (60.6%) peers, worth flagging for any family in that group.

The student body is 43% Black, 45% Hispanic, 8% Asian, and 4% other, reflecting a predominantly Black and Latino school serving a neighborhood where the median household income ($57,841) and bachelor's-degree rate (15.7%) both run well below city averages. The economic need index of 90 — meaning roughly 90% of students face economic disadvantage — confirms this is largely a working-class enrollment. Seventeen percent of students have IEPs, well above the citywide rate. With 425 students and an average class size of 21.8, the school is small enough that teachers can know most families by name, and a 63% family survey response rate shows parents are unusually engaged with school communications.

East New York (North) is a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood where the median household earns about $57,841 a year, a quarter of residents live below the poverty line, and just 15.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. Only 30% of homes are owner-occupied, and renter turnover is part of life; families with children make up just 17.2% of households. The median home value of about $617,000 reflects the wider regional market more than local incomes. Three subway lines connect the area — the A and C trains along with the 3 — making car-free commuting realistic, though service patterns shape daily routines.

Three subway options are within roughly 7 to 12 minutes on foot: the Shepherd Av station on the C train, New Lots Av on the 3 train, and Euclid Av on the A and C trains