P.S. 034 Franklin D. Roosevelt

With 35.1% ELA proficiency and 24.8% math proficiency, PS 34 sits well below District 1 averages of roughly 52% and 47% respectively, and its overall score of 1.2 out of 4 trails the district's 2.0 average. The more honest read is the trend: from a 2019 low of 19.7% ELA and 10.7% math — and a pandemic-era math floor of 4.6% in 2022 — the school has posted its best results in years. Grade 4 leads (43.5% ELA, 33.3% math) while Grade 6 math at just 5.3% shows real volatility across grade bands.

The split between parent and teacher experience here is striking and worth understanding. Families report near-ideal conditions — 91% parent satisfaction, 97% trust in teachers, 93% trust in the principal, and 100% say there's strong relationships at the school. Teachers tell a more mixed story: only 75% rate instruction quality positively (vs. 87% district-wide), 78% trust the principal, and 87% feel safe on the job. The discipline picture is genuinely encouraging — zero suspensions last year, down from six the prior year — and attendance is slightly above the district norm at 90%. But chronic absenteeism at 64.8% is severe, hitting Hispanic students hardest at 71.7%.

The 258 students at PS 34 are predominantly Hispanic (53%) and Black (42%), with one of the highest IEP rates in the district at 34% and an economic need index of 94.4%. ELL support is built into the program. The school reflects a working-class, multilingual East Village community that's notably different from the neighborhood's overall college-educated, higher-income profile — the school's families are the ones who stayed through the area's economic transformation.

PS 34 sits in the East Village, a neighborhood with a striking economic split: median household income reaches about $87,728 and over half of adults hold a bachelor's degree, yet nearly a quarter of residents live in poverty. Just 6.6% of households have children, and homeownership is rare at 13.9% given median home values over $1 million. The area draws a mix of long-time working-class families, students, and young professionals — and the school's demographics reflect the families who stayed, not the gentrifiers who arrived.

The commute requires some planning. The closest subway is the 1 Av L stop, about a 10-minute walk; the 3 Av L stop is roughly 16 minutes on foot; and Delancey St-Essex St on the M, J, and Z lines is about a 17-minute walk. No station is right at the school.