At a Glance
A high-performing South Shore elementary where trust between families and teachers runs unusually high, in one of Staten Island's most family-rooted neighborhoods.
Best suited for
Families who live in the South Shore zoned area, value a calm school with strong academics and a tight home-school connection, and are comfortable with a less diverse environment and a car-dependent commute.
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
- Math proficiency at 88.5% — roughly 27 points above the district average
- Zero suspensions over the past three school years
- Teacher-reported safety and instruction quality both at 99–100%
- Parent-teacher trust at 97%, suggesting an unusually strong home-school connection
- PTA fundraising of $370 per student — more than double the district average
- Grade 4 math proficiency at 97.1% in the most recent year
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 82% is high and uneven across demographic groups — worth asking how the school supports students who miss a lot of school
- Teacher survey responses were low (only 23 teachers), which can make staff survey percentages less reliable
- Limited racial diversity — only 1% of students are Black, which may matter to families seeking a more integrated environment
- Staten Island Railway is the only nearby transit option, so commutes to anywhere off the South Shore generally require a car or longer connections
Based on 2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 31
P.S. 003 ranks among the stronger elementary schools in District 31, sitting just below the top peer schools (P.S. 35 at 99/100, Naples Street at 97/100, and P.S. 5 Huguenot at 96/100) but well ahead of others like P.S. 50 at 84/100. It is a clear above-average performer in a district with wide variance between schools.
Academics
Test scores here sit well above district averages — 81.1% ELA proficiency versus a district average of about 61%, and 88.5% math proficiency versus 61%. Math is the standout subject: the school has climbed from 64% proficiency in 2016 to nearly 89% in 2025, a steady multi-year climb. ELA has also trended upward, from 58% in 2016 to 81% in 2025, with the steepest gains coming after 2022. Grade 4 math proficiency hit 97.1% in the most recent year, which is genuinely exceptional. The school's overall progress score of 3.39 out of 4 also lands well above the district average of 2.45.
Culture
The day-to-day feel here reads as calm and connected. Teacher-reported safety is at 100%, instruction quality at 99%, and teacher-principal trust at 99% — all notably above district averages. Parent satisfaction is 97% and parent-teacher trust is 97%, suggesting families feel genuinely heard. The discipline picture is clean: zero suspensions over the last three school years, against a district average suspension rate of about 0.4%. The one thing parents should know is that chronic absenteeism runs high at 82%, meaning a large share of students miss 10% or more of school days — worth asking the school about directly.
Community
The student body is 73% White, 14% Hispanic, 11% Asian, and 1% Black — far less diverse than most NYC public schools, and a near-mirror of the surrounding neighborhood, which is 79.5% homeowner-occupied with a median household income of $118,500. Twenty-two percent of students have IEPs, and the economic need index of 39 (out of 100) reflects a relatively low-poverty population. It is a community that looks more like suburban Staten Island than the city as a whole.
Neighborhood
The Annadale-Huguenot-Prince's Bay-Woodrow area is one of Staten Island's most settled family neighborhoods: 79.5% homeownership, median home value around $801,000, and 31.6% of households include children. Median household income is $118,500 and the poverty rate is just 5.4% — well below city norms. About 41% of adults here hold a bachelor's degree or higher. It is the kind of place where neighbors know each other and most people plan to stay.
Families rely on the Staten Island Railway — Pleasant Plains (SIR) is about a 7-minute walk, Prince's Bay (SIR) about 15 minutes, and Richmond Valley (SIR) about 19 minutes. Most school commutes here are by car, with limited subway reach into the rest of the city.
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) · 249 families responded (38% rate)
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
Pre-K
P.S. 003 The Margaret Gioiosa School also has Pre-K classes. They're a separate application from kindergarten, made on MySchools.
Pre-K application
Applications typically open in the winter and close in the spring, with offers in late spring; the city announces exact dates each year.
Kindergarten
P.S. 003 The Margaret Gioiosa School has an attendance zone. At elementary level, in-zone students get a guaranteed seat. Every family still applies on MySchools: the application confirms the zoned seat, and ranking other schools doesn't cost you it.
Kindergarten application
- Opens
- Wed, Dec 9
- Closes
- Fri, Jan 22
- Offers
- Tue, Mar 30
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Check that your address is inside the zone — zones change, so confirm it before you sign a lease.
- 2Apply during the kindergarten application, even with a zoned seat.
- 3Rank this school along with any others you'd take, in true preference order.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
Make this school part of your plan
Everything on this page is yours to read. An account keeps your research in one place.
No credit card required
Compare head-to-head
Explore nearby
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is P.S. 003 The Margaret Gioiosa School a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 003 The Margaret Gioiosa School earns an overall rating of 85/100 — 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 above the District 31 average.
- What grades does P.S. 003 The Margaret Gioiosa School serve?
- P.S. 003 The Margaret Gioiosa School serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 003 The Margaret Gioiosa School?
- P.S. 003 The Margaret Gioiosa School admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 003 The Margaret Gioiosa School public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 003 The Margaret Gioiosa School is a public school in NYC Community School District 31.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 003 The Margaret Gioiosa School in?
- P.S. 003 The Margaret Gioiosa School is in Annadale-Huguenot-Prince's Bay-Woodrow, Staten Island.