At a Glance
A large Bronx elementary-and-middle school where test scores have nearly doubled in a decade and parent trust runs high
Best suited for
Allerton families who want a full pre-K-through-8th-grade option with strong parent voice and a demonstrated track record of academic improvement, and who can be active partners around attendance and safety conversations.
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
- Academic growth that nearly doubled ELA and math proficiency over a decade
- Eighth-grade ELA proficiency of 71% — a real bright spot
- A perfect 100/100 program richness score spanning honors, coding, journalism, debate, yoga, and band
- Zero suspensions in 2023-24, down from two the prior year
- 96% parent trust in the principal and 97% report strong teacher relationships
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism affects nearly six in ten students — the school's biggest headwind and worth asking how they tackle it
- Teacher-reported safety at 86% trails the district's 95% meaningfully — visit and ask what underlies it
- PTA fundraising is just $3 per student versus a district average near $24, signaling limited parent-sourced enrichment dollars
- With about 1,275 students across pre-K through 8th grade, the school reads as a campus, not a small neighborhood building
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 11
District 11 includes some of the city's strongest charters — Icahn and the Bronx Charter for Excellence schools — that post scores well above P.S. 089. Among traditional zoned options, P.S. 089's 2.1/4 overall and clearly rising trajectory place it as a solid mid-tier school in genuine motion.
Academics
Test scores here have nearly doubled over the past decade — ELA from 27% to 53% and math from 25% to 52% — putting P.S. 089 within striking distance of the District 11 averages of roughly 57% ELA and 56% math. The trajectory is unmistakably upward. Eighth-grade ELA at 71% is a clear standout, while the lower grades (3rd-grade ELA at 36%) still have more catching up to do.
Culture
Parent-teacher relationships are the headline — 97% report strong relationships and 96% trust the principal — but two numbers deserve honest attention. Chronic absenteeism sits at 58.5%, meaning more than half of students miss too much school, and teacher-reported safety is 86% versus a district average of 95%, a meaningful gap. There were zero suspensions last year, so the building reads as calm on paper; the survey gap is the conversation to have with the school.
Community
About 1,275 students attend, and the body mirrors Allerton's working-class character: 56% Hispanic, 17% Black, 13% White, 12% Asian. The economic need index of 84 signals a high-poverty population — the surrounding census tract has a median household income near $46,600 and a 25% poverty rate. The school runs ELL support and serves 17% students with IEPs, so classrooms carry a wide range of needs.
Neighborhood
Allerton is a working-class Bronx neighborhood where most families rent, household incomes sit in the mid-$40,000s, and roughly a quarter of residents live below the poverty line. The population skews young and family-dense, and a fifth of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher — modest, but reflective of a community with deep roots. Three subway lines serve the area, so getting around the borough is straightforward.
Three stations are within walking distance: Pelham Parkway on the 5 (about 7 minutes), Allerton Avenue on the 2 and 5 (about 10 minutes), and Morris Park on the 5 (about 12 minutes).
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
Science Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Science 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) · 888 families responded (78% rate)
Programs & Activities
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. 089 Bronx 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. 089 Bronx 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.
Middle school (6th grade)
Middle school is one citywide application, made in 5th grade. P.S. 089 Bronx admits through 2 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Application ProgramUnscreened10 seats
- Zoned ProgramZoned146 seats
Middle school application
- Opened
- Wed, Oct 14
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 11
- Offers
- Wed, Apr 7
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the middle school application, in 5th grade.
- 2Zoned programs give priority to students who live in the zone — a priority, not a guaranteed seat.
- 3Unscreened programs fill by random lottery among the families who rank them.
- 4Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
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. 089 Bronx a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 089 Bronx earns an overall rating of 53/100 — 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 in line with the District 11 average.
- What grades does P.S. 089 Bronx serve?
- P.S. 089 Bronx serves grades Pre-K to 8.
- How do students get into P.S. 089 Bronx?
- P.S. 089 Bronx admits by application through a random lottery, with no academic screen.
- Is P.S. 089 Bronx public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 089 Bronx is a public school in NYC Community School District 11.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 089 Bronx in?
- P.S. 089 Bronx is in Allerton, Bronx.