P.S. 049 Willis Avenue

The trajectory is the headline: P.S. 049 has more than doubled its ELA proficiency since 2016 (from 24% to 57%) and its math proficiency has more than doubled as well (from 32% to 67%). Both metrics now sit above district averages — math notably so, at nearly 18 percentage points above the District 7 average — and proficiency holds relatively steady across grades 3-5 (ELA in the mid-50s, math in the mid-60s), so the gains aren't concentrated in one cohort. After a dip in 2022-23, scores have rebounded sharply, suggesting real instructional improvement rather than a one-year fluke.

The day-to-day feel here is unusually warm: parent satisfaction hits 95% (above the district's 93.5%), and parent-teacher and parent-principal trust both land in the low-to-mid 90s, with 100% of teachers reporting strong relationships. Teacher instruction quality (94%) and collegial trust (89%) suggest the adults in the building are aligned, and zero suspensions over three years stands out sharply against the district's 0.84% suspension rate. The real concern is chronic absenteeism at 67% — well above the citywide concern threshold — even though daily attendance (91.6%) tracks close to the district average, meaning many kids miss enough school to quietly erode even strong classroom gains.

With students roughly 73% Hispanic and 24% Black, P.S. 049's demographics mirror Mott Haven-Port Morris, where most residents are Latino with a substantial Black population alongside. The economic need index of 93% tells you almost every student comes from a low-income household — consistent with the neighborhood's 40% poverty rate — and about a quarter of students have IEPs. With a school diversity index of 39%, the student body is fairly demographically concentrated rather than broadly mixed across NYC's many communities.

Mott Haven-Port Morris is one of the densest, most working-class pockets of the Bronx — nearly 40% of residents live below the poverty line and median household income hovers around $29,000. Homeownership is unusual here (about 6%), and only 12% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, so most families rent and navigate tight budgets. The family-household share is on the lower side for NYC, but anchor institutions like this school remain long-standing community hubs for those who do live here.

Getting here is easy on the subway — the 6 train at 3 Av-138 St is about a four-minute walk, Brook Av on the same line is around six minutes, and the 2/5 at 3 Av-149 St is roughly ten minutes on foot.