P.S. 036 J. C. Drumgoole

P.S. 36's 2025 results are the strongest in the eight-year window shown: 70.6% ELA proficiency and 71.1% math proficiency, both meaningfully above the District 31 averages of roughly 61% in each subject. The climb from 60.3% ELA and 64% math in 2024 is sharp — close to a 10-point math jump in one year — and the overall quality score of 2.83/4 outpaces the district average of 2.45. Performance is solid across grades 3-5, with grade 5 math at 74.8% leading the way. The earlier dip in 2019 (56.1% ELA) and weaker math years through 2022 suggest the school has worked its way back from a rough stretch and is now at its best.

The day-to-day climate here reads as warm and orderly. Teachers report 100% safety on campus — well above the district average of about 95% — and there have been zero suspensions for three consecutive years, against a district suspension rate of roughly 0.4%. Parent-teacher trust is at 97% and parent-principal trust at 93%, with 99% of families reporting strong relationships with staff, signaling a tight-knit school community. Teacher instruction quality sits at 83%, noticeably below the district average of about 93%, which is the one climate signal that gives pause. The 94% attendance rate is solid (above the 91.4% district average), but chronic absenteeism at 84.1% reflects a broader post-pandemic pattern rather than anything specific to this school — worth asking the principal how they're addressing it.

The student body is 70% White, 15% Hispanic, 13% Asian, and 2% multiracial — a diversity index of 51% that reflects the relatively homogeneous demographics of southern Staten Island. This mirrors the surrounding neighborhood, where homeownership is at 79.5% and the median household income is $118,500, well above the citywide norm. About 31% of neighborhood households include children, which translates into a stable, family-centered enrollment of 813 students from pre-K through 5th grade. About 21% of students have IEPs, and the economic need index of 30.9 means the school serves fewer high-need families than the citywide average.

The Annadale-Huguenot-Prince's Bay-Woodrow area is a quiet, homeowner-dominated stretch of southern Staten Island where most blocks include kids and the median home value sits just over $800,000. About 41% of neighborhood adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and only 5.4% of residents live below the poverty line — well below the citywide rate. The school draws from a stable, family-oriented population that tends to put down roots here rather than pass through.

Most families arrive by car or on foot from nearby blocks; the closest train access is the Annadale SIR station, about a 7-minute walk away, with Huguenot (about 17 minutes) and Eltingville (about 20 minutes) as alternatives on the Staten Island Railway