P.S. 046 Edgar Allan Poe

For years, P.S. 046's proficiency rates sat well below district averages — in the high teens and low twenties — but the 2025 scores represent a genuine breakthrough, with both ELA and math landing closer to (though still under) the District 10 averages of about 45% and 43.5%. The gains were particularly strong in 4th grade, where math proficiency hit 45.9%, and 5th grade ELA reached 49% — meaning older students are pulling the school upward. Whether this is the start of a sustained climb or a one-year spike is the open question, but the trajectory has clearly turned a corner compared to the 2016 starting point of 15.8% ELA and 19.3% math.

The day-to-day feel at P.S. 046 is shaped by an unusually tight bond between families and the school — 100% of surveyed teachers report strong relationships with families, and parent-principal trust sits at 96%. Zero suspensions over three straight years suggests a calm, relationship-driven discipline approach rather than a punitive one. But there are real frictions worth naming: chronic absenteeism runs at 70.3% (meaning roughly seven in ten students miss 10% or more of the school year), and teacher trust in the principal lags at 73%, well below parent trust. Teacher-reported safety is also 78%, noticeably under the district average of 87% — something parents should ask about when visiting.

Walk the halls at P.S. 046 and you'll find a student body that's 86% Hispanic and 11% Black, with small numbers of white, Asian, and multiracial students — a diversity index of just 30% reflects how concentrated the demographics are. The economic need index of 91.7% confirms that nearly all students come from low-income households, mirroring a neighborhood where one in four residents lives below the poverty line. About one in five students has an Individualized Education Program, and the school serves self-contained special education classes alongside general education.

Bedford Park is a densely renter neighborhood — only 7% of households own their homes, and just 14% have children under 18, which tells you most of the immediate area is working adults and long-time residents rather than young families moving in. Median household income sits at about $44,438, and just 17.5% of adults have a bachelor's degree, so this is a community where many parents work in service, retail, and healthcare jobs. The roughly $558,000 median home value reflects the broader Bronx market more than what's typical on a Bedford Park block, since so few homes actually change hands.

Three subway options make the commute manageable: the B and D at Kingsbridge Road is about a 4-minute walk, the 4 train at Bedford Park Boulevard–Lehman College is about 9 minutes, and the 4 at Kingsbridge Road is around 8 minutes.