At a Glance
A tiny Tremont elementary that just outscored its district — but getting kids to class is the real challenge
Best suited for
Families zoned for the school who want a small, calm, community-rooted elementary and are ready to partner on attendance — because the academics are working, but only for the kids who show up.
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
- A 2025 academic surge that pushed ELA and math proficiency well above district averages after nearly a decade of middling scores
- Three consecutive years with zero suspensions — a rare signal of a calm, well-managed environment
- Parent trust in teachers (94%) and the principal (95%) is among the strongest in the district
- A small enrollment of 227 students means a tight, community feel where most families know the staff
- Class sizes at 21.2 are right around the district average, so the small school doesn't mean crammed rooms
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 47.8% is high — strong classroom instruction can't fully land when nearly half the kids miss too much school
- Teacher trust in leadership (64%) and ratings of instruction quality (76%) both trail district averages, which can signal staff turnover risk
- PTA fundraising is among the lowest in the district at roughly $5 per student versus $53 per student on average, limiting enrichment budgets
- The 2025 score jump was large enough that it's worth asking how it was achieved and whether it's sustainable next year
- It's a nine- to thirteen-minute walk from the subway, which matters on cold mornings or with strollers
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 12
District 12 in the Bronx averages just 1.76/4 overall and 44.6% ELA proficiency, and several local charter schools (South Bronx Classical, Bold, Pharos) post higher overall scores than P.S. 044's 2.88/4. But on 2025 proficiency rates alone, Farragut is now competing with the top performers in the district — an unusual position for a traditional public zoned school here.
Academics
After years of proficiency in the 20–40% range, P.S. 044's 2025 scores jumped to 74.6% in ELA and 69.2% in math, well above the district averages of 44.6% and 43.3% respectively. The climb has been real and progressive since the post-pandemic dip in 2022, with each year showing gains before the 2025 leap. By grade, third graders lead in ELA at 81%, with fourth and fifth graders close behind — the gains aren't isolated to one cohort.
Culture
Day-to-day at Farragut is calm — there have been zero suspensions for three straight reporting years — and families clearly feel connected, with parent trust in teachers at 94% and in the principal at 95%. The view from teachers is more mixed: only 64% trust school leadership and 76% rate instruction quality as strong, both below district averages. The biggest headwind is chronic absenteeism at 47.8%, with Hispanic students hit hardest at 52.5%.
Community
The student body is 64% Hispanic and 35% Black, with no Asian, White, or multiracial students enrolled — a diversity index of 38% that reflects two large groups rather than broad mixing. That profile closely tracks the surrounding Tremont neighborhood, where over a third of households live below the poverty line and only 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. With an economic need index of 94.5%, virtually every family at Farragut is considered high-need.
Neighborhood
Tremont is a predominantly renter neighborhood — homeownership is just 7.5% — with a median household income near $32,000 and a poverty rate above 36%. About 13% of households have children, and the adult population skews older with low college-attainment rates. Families rely on a few subway options to get around the area.
The closest subway is the 174 St station on the 2 and 5 lines, about a 9-minute walk, with West Farms Sq–E Tremont Av on the 2 and 5 lines roughly 13 minutes away on foot.
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) · 41 families responded (24% 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. 044 David C. Farragut 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. 044 David C. Farragut 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. 044 David C. Farragut a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 044 David C. Farragut earns an overall rating of 72/100 — 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 12 average.
- What grades does P.S. 044 David C. Farragut serve?
- P.S. 044 David C. Farragut serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 044 David C. Farragut?
- P.S. 044 David C. Farragut admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 044 David C. Farragut public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 044 David C. Farragut is a public school in NYC Community School District 12.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 044 David C. Farragut in?
- P.S. 044 David C. Farragut is in Tremont, Bronx.