At a Glance
A tiny zoned Bed-Stuy elementary where the community is warm but the academics and attendance need real lift
Best suited for
Families zoned for the school who want a small, close-knit, no-suspension elementary community and are prepared to supplement classroom learning and stay engaged on 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
- Three straight years with zero suspensions — a rare, calm discipline climate for a neighborhood school.
- Just 137 students means genuinely small classes and a tight-knit community where most families know the staff.
- 100% of teachers report feeling safe at school — a striking mark of trust in the building itself.
- Parent trust in teachers (93%) and strong school relationships (93%) are well above what the academic numbers would predict.
Things to consider
- Proficiency in ELA and math runs 20+ points below district averages — families should plan to be hands-on with academics at home.
- Chronic absenteeism at 48% is high and worth asking the school directly how they're tackling it.
- PTA raises about $15 per student — a tiny fraction of the $438 district average — so enrichment, extras, and field trips are limited unless parents volunteer to organize them.
- Only 59% of teachers trust their principal, a softer spot in an otherwise warm climate picture.
- Third-grade results (12% in both subjects) are notably weaker than fourth and fifth grade, so younger cohorts may need extra support.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 13
Within District 13 — home to standouts like P.S. 011 and the Emily Warren Roebling School — P.S. 044 sits well below the district average overall score (1.12 vs. 1.98) and is among the lower-performing zoned options, though charters like Brooklyn Prospect and Community Roots score in a similar range.
Academics
At 32% ELA proficiency and 24% math, P.S. 044 sits well below the District 13 averages of 53% and 46% — students here are catching up, not leading. Test scores have been volatile: after steady gains from 2016 to 2019, results cratered in 2022 (likely pandemic-era), partially recovered, dipped again in 2024, and rebounded in 2025 to roughly 2019 levels. The grade-by-grade picture is telling — third graders score around 12% in both subjects while fourth and fifth graders test much higher, suggesting either real growth as students mature or uneven instruction across cohorts.
Culture
The day-to-day feel is gentle: zero suspensions over three straight years, 100% of teachers reporting the school is safe, and 93% of families saying there are strong relationships with staff. Parents give the school solid marks on trust (93% parent-teacher, 87% parent-principal), and 100% of teachers rate instruction quality positively. Two things give a parent pause, though: chronic absenteeism is 48% — far higher than the district — with Hispanic students especially affected at 56.5%, and only 59% of teachers trust their principal, a notable gap compared to the otherwise warm picture.
Community
The student body is 77% Black, 13% Hispanic, with small Asian and White shares — a reflection of long-standing Bed-Stuy demographics. Eighty-six percent of students qualify as economically needy, well above the citywide norm. With only 137 kids total, almost every family knows every staff member, and the 87% parent satisfaction rate suggests the community feels seen, even if test outcomes don't yet show it.
Neighborhood
Bedford-Stuyvesant (East) is a mostly renter neighborhood — only about a quarter of households own their homes — with a median household income near $71,000 and a poverty rate around 23%. The high median home value (over $1.1 million) reflects how much prices have climbed, while the relatively low share of households with kids (under 12%) suggests many blocks skew toward younger adults and longtime residents without school-age children. About 41% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, a healthy rate for a Brooklyn neighborhood this size.
The nearest subway is the C train at Kingston-Throop Avs, about a 9-minute walk; the A and C at Nostrand Av is roughly 13 minutes, and the G at Myrtle-Willoughby Avs is about 15 minutes 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) · 70 families responded (57% 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 Marcus Garvey 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 Marcus Garvey 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 Marcus Garvey a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 044 Marcus Garvey earns an overall rating of 28/100 — 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 below the District 13 average.
- What grades does P.S. 044 Marcus Garvey serve?
- P.S. 044 Marcus Garvey serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 044 Marcus Garvey?
- P.S. 044 Marcus Garvey admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 044 Marcus Garvey public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 044 Marcus Garvey is a public school in NYC Community School District 13.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 044 Marcus Garvey in?
- P.S. 044 Marcus Garvey is in Bedford-Stuyvesant (East), Brooklyn.