At a Glance
A tiny, inclusive screened middle school on the Upper West Side where restorative practices and rich programming take priority over test scores.
Best suited for
Families seeking a tiny, screened, restorative middle school that prioritizes inclusion and social-emotional growth over test-based outcomes, and who are comfortable with their child being in a close community that looks very different from the surrounding blocks.
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
- Zero suspensions with a clearly restorative approach — restorative circles and one-on-one academic coaching are baked into the program catalog.
- An IEP rate of 42% makes this one of the most intentionally inclusive middle schools in the district.
- At just 95 students, every kid is known by name — there is no anonymity here.
- A program richness score of 90 out of 100 is exceptional for a school this size, with offerings ranging from robotics and film to drumming, cooking, and Urban Advantage science partnerships.
- Screened admissions means families actively choose this school and its mission, rather than being assigned by zone.
Things to consider
- ELA and math proficiency are well below district averages — families should set realistic expectations about standardized outcomes.
- Chronic absenteeism of nearly 32% is high and may affect momentum for any individual student.
- With only 95 students, the elective and social landscape is narrower than at a typical middle school — your child will likely know everyone.
- The school's demographics diverge sharply from the surrounding neighborhood, which can feel isolating or affirming depending on the family.
- Math proficiency dropped to 4.8% in 2022 and only partially recovered, suggesting instability in math instruction worth asking about.
Based on 2023-24 data
School SummaryDistrict 3
Within District 3, this school is a clear outlier on the lower end of academic outcomes — peer schools like Special Music School, The Anderson School, and the local Success Academy branches all score in the 90s out of 100, while M.S. 250's overall rating sits well below the district average of 2.27 out of 4. It serves a fundamentally different mission than those schools.
Academics
ELA proficiency of 26.3% is about 33 percentage points below the district average of 59.3%, and math proficiency of 12.5% is roughly 41 points below the district average of 54%. The overall quality score of 0.78 out of 4 sits well below the district's 2.27. Trends are essentially flat-to-declining over the past seven years — ELA has hovered in the 22–29% range, while math dropped to a striking 4.8% in 2022 before partially rebounding. Small enrollment means year-to-year swings reflect individual students as much as program changes. Parents should read these numbers honestly: students here are catching up, not leading.
Culture
The school posted zero suspensions in 2022–23, down from two the prior year — a clean discipline record that's notably better than the district average of 0.39%. Parent satisfaction is 88.4%, essentially identical to the district average, suggesting families feel heard even when results are mixed. The concern is attendance: the 81.3% rate is about nine points below the district average, and chronic absenteeism sits at 31.8%, with boys more affected than girls (35.6% vs 27.1%). The day-to-day feel is intimate and relationship-driven, but getting kids to show up consistently is a real challenge.
Community
The student body is 59% Hispanic, 33% Black, 5% White, 1% Asian, and 2% multi-racial — a very different demographic profile from the surrounding Upper West Side, which is overwhelmingly white, high-income, and college-educated. About 42% of students have IEPs, and the economic need index of 83.2 indicates high poverty among the student population. In other words, this is a school that draws families from across the city who specifically seek out its screened, inclusive model rather than neighborhood families who happen to live nearby.
Neighborhood
The school sits in the central Upper West Side, where median household income is roughly $152,000, the poverty rate is 8.3%, and more than 80% of adults have a bachelor's degree — one of the most affluent and educated census tracts in New York City. Only about 17% of neighborhood households include children, so the families who actually send kids to this school are largely coming from elsewhere in the city. The contrast between the neighborhood's affluence and the school's high economic need is one of the most striking features of M.S. 250.
The 96 St station on the 1, 2, and 3 lines is about a three-minute walk; the 86 St (1) and 103 St (1) stations are each around a 9–10 minute walk.
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
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)
Programs & Activities
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2022-23)
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. M.S. 250 West Side Collaborative Middle School admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- iCollaborateScreened48 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.
- 3Rank 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 M.S. 250 West Side Collaborative Middle School a good school?
- On Motley, M.S. 250 West Side Collaborative Middle School earns an overall rating of 20/100 — 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 below the District 3 average.
- What grades does M.S. 250 West Side Collaborative Middle School serve?
- M.S. 250 West Side Collaborative Middle School serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into M.S. 250 West Side Collaborative Middle School?
- M.S. 250 West Side Collaborative Middle School is a screened school — it admits by application, ranking applicants on their course grades (4th grade for middle school, the 7th-grade core-course average for high school); a few schools add an assessment, writing sample, or interview.
- Is M.S. 250 West Side Collaborative Middle School public, charter, or private?
- M.S. 250 West Side Collaborative Middle School is a public school in NYC Community School District 3.
- What neighborhood is M.S. 250 West Side Collaborative Middle School in?
- M.S. 250 West Side Collaborative Middle School is in Upper West Side (Central), Manhattan.