P.S. 078 Anne Hutchinson

Proficiency rates are below district averages — 34.4% in ELA versus the district's 56.7%, and 32.6% in math versus 55.6% — so on any given year this is a school where most students are still catching up to grade-level standards. But the trajectory matters: ELA proficiency has climbed from 22.5% in 2016 to 34.4% in 2025, and math from 22.8% to 32.6%, with the largest single-year jump coming this past year. Grade 4 performance is noticeably stronger than grades 3 and 5 (41.7% ELA, 43.9% math), suggesting instruction gains traction by upper elementary. The overall quality review score of 1.34 out of 4 is below the district average of 2.25, placing this school in the lower-performing tier on the city rubric.

The day-to-day climate is notably warm and stable. Surveys show 92% parent satisfaction, 95% parent-teacher trust, 96% parent-principal trust, and a perfect 100% on strong parent-teacher relationships — numbers that suggest families feel genuinely connected, not just surveyed. Teachers rate instruction quality at 98% and feel safe at 95%, well above typical city averages, and 87% collegial trust among teachers indicates a staff that works well together. Discipline is essentially a non-issue here: zero suspensions for three consecutive years. The one climate concern is attendance — chronic absenteeism is 50.7%, meaning roughly half of students miss 10% or more of the school year, and overall attendance of 88.5% lags the district's 91.2%. Black students are chronically absent at 61.1%, a gap worth flagging.

The student body is 66% Black and 28% Hispanic, with smaller Asian, White, multiracial, and Native American shares — a mix that reflects the surrounding neighborhood, where median household income is $70,692 and about 17.8% of residents live below the poverty line. The economic need index of 83.2 confirms most students come from households with limited resources, and 18% of students have IEPs. The diversity index of 49% reflects genuine mixing rather than a single dominant group crowding out others. Despite this demographic reality, PTA fundraising came in at $0 per student last year — a striking gap from the district average of nearly $24 per student — which usually tracks with how much organized parent fundraising energy the school generates beyond the survey-level engagement numbers.

Eastchester-Edenwald-Baychester is a stable, family-oriented residential area in the northeastern Bronx, anchored by single-family homes and small apartment buildings. Median home values around $543,000 and a 41.8% homeownership rate suggest a neighborhood where many families have put down long-term roots, and 26.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median household income is $70,692, with a 17.8% poverty rate, painting a picture of a working- and middle-class community rather than an affluent one.

No subway stop is close — the 5 train at Gun Hill Road is about a 14-minute walk, Baychester Avenue (5) is roughly 13 minutes, and 219th Street (2 and 5) is about 15 minutes away. Most families likely rely on school buses, yellow bus service, or driving rather than walking to transit.