At a Glance
A large zoned Bronx elementary that has quietly posted one of the sharpest academic turnarounds in the district.
Best suited for
Families zoned for the school who want a large, stable neighborhood elementary with strong family-school relationships and rising academics — and who are ready to be hands-on around attendance.
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
- ELA proficiency has climbed roughly 20 percentage points since 2022, one of the sharpest gains in District 10.
- Zero suspensions recorded for three consecutive years — uncommon for a school of this size.
- Family-school trust scores are at or near 100% across every survey dimension, including parent-principal trust at 99%.
- Fifth-graders post a notably strong 57.1% ELA proficiency rate, suggesting momentum that carries through the upper grades.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 63% means most students miss enough school to be flagged — a real barrier to building on the recent academic gains.
- Asian students show a chronic absence rate of 80.9%, well above the Hispanic (62.6%), Black (66.1%), and white (56.7%) populations — worth asking about if it affects your family.
- PTA fundraising is among the lowest in the district, which often translates to fewer enrichment extras, field trips, and classroom supplies.
- Average class size is right at the district norm (~23 kids), so don't expect the small-class intimacy of a charter school.
- The 2025 score jumped after a dip in 2024, so it's worth watching whether the trajectory holds before drawing firm conclusions.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 10
Within District 10, P.S. 8 sits above the district average on overall rating (1.89 vs. 1.77 out of 4) and ahead of elementary peers like Ampark Neighborhood and Cardinal McCloskey Community Charter, though it trails the district's top performers like P.S. 24 Spuyten Duyvil and P.S. 81 Robert J. Christen.
Academics
ELA proficiency sits at 47.2% and math at 47.3% — both modestly above the District 10 averages of about 45% and 43.5%. The more important story is the climb: ELA proficiency nearly doubled from 27% in 2022 to 47.2% in 2025, and math went from 23.7% to 47.3% in the same window. There was a dip in 2024 before the rebound, so the 2025 figure deserves watching to see if it sticks. Within the school, fifth-graders post the strongest ELA numbers (57.1%), while fourth grade lags at 39%.
Culture
The survey picture at P.S. 8 is unusually warm for a school of its size: 100% of teachers say there are strong school-to-family relationships, 99% of parents trust their teachers, and every responding teacher reports confidence in the principal. Teacher-reported safety at 91% beats the district average (87%), and the school hasn't issued a single suspension in any of the last three reported years. The asterisk is attendance — 63% of students are chronically absent, well above the rate at most peer schools, even though the overall attendance figure (90.3%) is only a hair below the district norm.
Community
Seven in ten students are Hispanic, with smaller Asian (8%), Black (7%), and white (6%) populations — a less mixed picture than some Bronx peers but a community that reflects the Bedford Park census, where a quarter of households live below the poverty line and median household income sits near $44,000. The economic need index of 88.3 (out of 100) is high, meaning most students arrive with significant economic disadvantage. About one in five students has an IEP, and the PTA's $17 per-student fundraising — a fraction of the district's $74 average — is itself a marker of the community's resources.
Neighborhood
Bedford Park is a working-class, transit-friendly stretch of the Bronx with deep roots: nearly three-quarters of residents are renters, only 7% own their homes, and the typical household earns around $44,000. About 14% of households have kids, which helps explain why this school — and others nearby — stay full. The area sits within walking distance of multiple subway lines, making it accessible for families coming from across the central Bronx.
Three stations are within easy reach: Bedford Park Blvd on the B and D trains (5-minute walk), Norwood–205 St on the D (6-minute walk), and Bedford Park Blvd–Lehman College on the 4 (8-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) · 151 families responded (26% 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. 008 Isaac Varian 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. 008 Isaac Varian 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is P.S. 008 Isaac Varian a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 008 Isaac Varian earns an overall rating of 47/100 — 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 10 average.
- What grades does P.S. 008 Isaac Varian serve?
- P.S. 008 Isaac Varian serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 008 Isaac Varian?
- P.S. 008 Isaac Varian admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 008 Isaac Varian public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 008 Isaac Varian is a public school in NYC Community School District 10.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 008 Isaac Varian in?
- P.S. 008 Isaac Varian is in Bedford Park, Bronx.