P.S. 065

P.S. 065's academics are a clear bright spot. ELA proficiency of 70.1% and math proficiency of 78% are both far above the District 19 averages of roughly 49% and 48% respectively, and the overall school score of 2.96 out of 4 sits well above the district average of 1.94. The trajectory is genuinely upward — math rose from about 50% in 2017 to 78% in 2025, and ELA more than doubled from its 2017 level. By grade, fifth-graders hit 80.7% in math and fourth-graders reached 79.7% in ELA, suggesting the school is building real skill as students move up. The 2025 jump in math (from 68.8% to 78%) is particularly worth watching to see if it holds.

The surveys here are about as warm as you'll see in a New York City public school. 99% of teachers rate instruction quality positively, 98% of parents trust the principal, and 97% of parents trust their child's teacher — all of these sit meaningfully above district averages. Teacher-reported safety is 96% and there have been zero suspensions for three consecutive years, which is genuinely rare at this level and tells you something about how adults are managing the building. The daily attendance rate of 91.8% is slightly above the district average, but the chronic absenteeism rate of 65.9% means a large share of students are missing enough school to be flagged. Notably, the Asian subgroup at the school shows the highest chronic absenteeism at 72.2%, even though they represent only 5% of enrollment. The day-to-day feel from the survey data is trusting and relational — the issue is structural, around getting kids in the door consistently.

P.S. 065's enrollment of 488 is heavily Hispanic (86%), with small Black (6%), Asian (5%), and Native American (2%) populations and very few white or multiracial students. The school mirrors its Cypress Hills surroundings, where most families are working-class and the median household income is $66,262. The economic need index of 82.6% reflects significant poverty, and 10% of students have IEPs. A diversity index of 32% is on the lower side — the school is not very racially mixed within its walls, though the neighborhood itself includes a mix of longtime residents and families who have moved in more recently.

Cypress Hills is a working- and middle-class Brooklyn neighborhood where about one in five households has children, the typical home is worth around $659,257, and about a third of residents own their home. Median household income is $66,262, the poverty rate is 17.6%, and 16.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Families here are a mix of long-time residents and newer arrivals, and the area has a settled, block-by-block feel rather than a tourist or trendy identity. The school sits within walking distance of the J and Z trains, which run along Jamaica Avenue and connect east toward Cypress Hills/City Line and west into broader Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Most families arrive by foot or via the J/Z subway. Crescent St station is about a 7-minute walk and Norwood Av and Cypress Hills stations are both roughly 8 minutes away on the same line.