P.S. 040 Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Both ELA (86.1%) and Math (87.4%) proficiency sit roughly 13 to 15 percentage points above the District 2 averages of 73% and 73%, and the overall quality score of 3.47 out of 4 lands well above the district's 2.97. Since 2016, ELA has hovered in the mid-to-high 80s with an unusual dip to 77.6% in 2024 followed by a strong rebound to 86.1% in 2025; Math has been steadier, drifting from the mid-80s to the high 80s. Scores are evenly strong across grades 3, 4, and 5 — no grade-level weak link dragging the school down.

The survey picture here is exceptional. Parent-principal trust and parent-teacher trust both sit at 98%, parent satisfaction at 95%, and 100% of teachers report strong relationships, collegial trust, and feeling safe at school. Zero suspensions over three consecutive years at nearly 600 students is rare and signals a calm, well-managed building. Attendance at 94.2% runs above the district average of about 92%, which typically reinforces the academic outcomes. The one caveat is the family survey response rate of 54% — healthy but not universal — so the very positive climate numbers reflect a strong, not a complete, cross-section of families.

The student body is 56% White, 18% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 10% multiracial, and 3% Black — quite different from the typical NYC elementary and a clear mirror of the surrounding Gramercy census tract, where 83% of adults hold a BA or higher and median household income tops $153,000. The diversity index of 69% reflects real mixing between the White-majority core and the school's Hispanic and Asian families. Economic need is low (18.3 on the index), and PTA fundraising of $650 per student — well above the district norm of about $517 — pays for enrichment that most zoned schools can't afford.

Gramercy is a quiet, affluent pocket of Manhattan where only about 10% of households have children under 18 — which makes a zoned elementary like P.S. 040 a real anchor for local families. The neighborhood skews heavily college-educated, with a 10.8% poverty rate, homeownership near 40%, and median home values around $922,000. For families who live in the zone, the school is genuinely walkable; for those outside, the commute is part of the calculus.

Families in the zone can walk to school. The closest subway options are the 1 Av and 3 Av stations on the L, each within a 6 to 7 minute walk, plus the 23 St-Baruch College station on the 6 line about 9 minutes away.