At a Glance
A program-packed audition middle school where math is climbing fast and the arts run deep
Best suited for
Families who want a large, program-rich audition school with serious performing arts and STEM offerings, and whose kids are stronger in math than reading. Parents who value strong home-school communication will appreciate the high trust scores; those who prioritize smaller class sizes or a quieter discipline climate may want to weigh the rising suspension trend carefully.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of NY State ELA + math proficiency, grades 3–8
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- Audition-based admissions, unusual for a district middle school
- Program richness score of 100/100 — effectively every category is covered
- Deep performing arts menu including chorus, dance, drama, theater, vocal music, and guitar
- Specialized High School Test Preparation built into the program
- Regents Living Environment offered to 8th graders, giving them a head start on high school credit
- Math proficiency of 70%+ in 7th and 8th grade
Things to consider
- Suspensions have risen sharply over the past three school years and the rate is four times the district average
- Chronic absenteeism at 74% is high — even with strong daily attendance rates
- ELA proficiency at 55% trails the district average of 60%
- PTA fundraising per student ($38) is roughly half the district average ($78), which can limit what parents can supplement
- Large enrollment of 1,172 students means a less intimate environment than smaller middle schools
- Admissions by audition means families need to plan ahead and prepare
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 21
District 21 includes some of Brooklyn's stronger middle school options — Brooklyn School of Inquiry, Mark Twain I.S. 239 for the Gifted & Talented, and I.S. 98 Bay Academy all score notably higher on program richness. I.S. 281 sits in the middle of that pack: it matches the district average on overall quality (2.4 vs 2.46) and edges ahead on math, but trails on ELA and runs a higher suspension rate than the district norm.
Academics
Math is the clear bright spot. Proficiency climbed from 48.5% in 2016 to 65.2% in 2025 — meaningfully above the district average of 63.2% — with 7th and 8th graders posting 70% and 69% respectively. ELA tells a more uneven story: scores jumped from 36% in 2016 to roughly 55% in recent years, but that still trails the district average of 60%. The overall quality score of 2.4/4 lands essentially at the district average (2.46). Incoming sixth graders score lower than their older peers (54% ELA, 55% math), suggesting students sharpen as they move through the school.
Culture
Families feel genuinely heard here: parent satisfaction sits at 94%, parent-teacher trust at 95%, and parent-principal trust at 96% — all above district averages. Teachers rate instructional quality highly at 95%, and 81% of teachers say their colleagues trust each other. The lower teacher-principal trust score (84%) hints at some friction between staff and administration. Discipline is where the picture gets harder. Suspensions went from 4 in 2021-22 to 10 in 2022-23 to 22 in 2023-24, and the 2% suspension rate is four times the district average of 0.5%. That's a trend worth watching closely.
Community
With 1,172 students, I.S. 281 is one of the bigger middle schools in the area. The student body is 39% Asian, 27% Hispanic, 26% White, and 6% Black — a mix that reflects the audition process pulling from across Brooklyn rather than just the surrounding blocks. The economic need index of 78.4 is high, meaning most families qualify for free lunch, even though the school draws from a fairly broad swath of the borough. About 18% of students have IEPs and ELL services are offered.
Neighborhood
Gravesend (West) is a mixed-income Brooklyn neighborhood where about a quarter of households have children, median household income is roughly $72,000, and just over 30% of adults have a bachelor's degree. The poverty rate of 22.4% sits above the city average, and homeownership at 37.9% suggests a stable residential core alongside rental blocks. Median home values near $985,000 reflect the broader Brooklyn market pressure.
The D train is the workhorse here. Families can reach the school from Bay Pkwy (about an 11-minute walk), 25 Av (about 9 minutes), or 20 Av (about 15 minutes) — no other lines serve the immediate area.
Academic Performance
ELA Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State ELA exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Math Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Math exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Science Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Science exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Historical Trends
The dashed line marks 2023, when New York changed its grades 3–8 state tests. Scores before and after it aren’t directly comparable.
2020–2021 data unavailable due to COVID-19
Source: NYC DOE School Quality Reports
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 515 families responded (44% rate)
Programs & Activities
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
PTA Fundraising
Source: DOE Local Law 171 disclosure
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Middle school (6th grade)
Middle school is one citywide application, made in 5th grade. I.S. 281 Joseph B Cavallaro admits through 8 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Joseph B. Cavallaro (I.S. 281)Unscreened185 seats
- Joseph B. Cavallaro (I.S. 281) Magnet Program (Art)AuditionVirtual auditionAudition required20 seats
- Joseph B. Cavallaro (I.S. 281) Magnet Program (Computer/Math)AuditionIn personAudition required20 seats
- Joseph B. Cavallaro (I.S. 281) Magnet Program (Creative Writing/Journalism)AuditionIn personAudition required20 seats
- Joseph B. Cavallaro (I.S. 281) Magnet Program (Dance)AuditionIn personAudition required20 seats
- Joseph B. Cavallaro (I.S. 281) Magnet Program (Science)AuditionIn personAudition required20 seats
- Joseph B. Cavallaro (I.S. 281) Magnet Program (Vocal Music)AuditionVirtual auditionAudition required24 seats
- Joseph B. Cavallaro (I.S. 281) Mandarin Dual Language ProgramScreened20 seats
Middle school application
- Opened
- Wed, Oct 14
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 11
- Offers
- Wed, Apr 7
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the middle school application, in 5th grade.
- 2Screened programs rank 4th-grade course grades, so last year's report card is the one that counts.
- 3Audition programs need a booked audition or portfolio on top of the application — book the slot through MySchools, and prepare what each studio asks for.
- 4Unscreened programs fill by random lottery among the families who rank them.
- 5Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is I.S. 281 Joseph B Cavallaro a good school?
- On Motley, I.S. 281 Joseph B Cavallaro earns an overall rating of 60/100 — the average of the school's New York State ELA and math proficiency, grades 3–8, shown out of 100. Its state test results run in line with the District 21 average.
- What grades does I.S. 281 Joseph B Cavallaro serve?
- I.S. 281 Joseph B Cavallaro serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into I.S. 281 Joseph B Cavallaro?
- I.S. 281 Joseph B Cavallaro admits by audition — applicants are judged on a performance, portfolio, or talent area.
- Is I.S. 281 Joseph B Cavallaro public, charter, or private?
- I.S. 281 Joseph B Cavallaro is a public school in NYC Community School District 21.
- What neighborhood is I.S. 281 Joseph B Cavallaro in?
- I.S. 281 Joseph B Cavallaro is in Gravesend (West), Brooklyn.