P.S. 089 Cypress Hills

ELA proficiency at 21.2% is less than half the district average of 48.9%, and the trend has been essentially flat for nearly a decade, hovering between 16% and 25%. Math tells a very different story: after bottoming out at 9% in 2022, proficiency has climbed every year since to 34.7%, the highest this school has ever recorded and narrowing the gap with the district's 48.2%. Performance varies sharply by grade. Grade 4 is a particular concern at 7.7% ELA and 12.2% math, while Grade 8 students reach 38.6% ELA and 52.6% math — well above the school average, suggesting kids who persist here make real gains. Science proficiency is a bright spot at 52.6%.

This is a school where adults seem to genuinely like working with one another. Parent-teacher trust at 97% and parent-principal trust at 96% are unusually high, and every single surveyed teacher agreed the school has strong relationships — a perfect 100%. Teacher collegial trust (95%), teacher-principal trust (91%), and teacher-reported safety (92%) round out a climate that feels unusually cohesive. Discipline is calm overall — 9 suspensions across the year is modest given enrollment — though the count has crept up from 5 the year before. Teacher-rated instruction quality (88%) sits right at the district average, suggesting teachers feel supported but not necessarily exceptional in their craft.

The student body is 97% Hispanic, with the remaining 3% Black — one of the most homogeneous schools in the dataset. The surrounding neighborhood reflects this: a working-class community where median household income is $66,262 and only 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. The economic need index of 85.4 confirms most students arrive with significant financial pressure at home. Twenty-two percent of students have IEPs and ELL support is offered, reflecting both the linguistic and learning diversity that does exist within this largely immigrant population.

Cypress Hills sits on the eastern edge of Brooklyn, a working-class neighborhood where many families are immigrants and where home values have nonetheless climbed into the mid-$600,000s. Only about a third of homes are owner-occupied, suggesting a renter-heavy community, and one in five households includes children. It's the kind of place where kids grow up among extended family, where PTA participation is strong but PTA dollars are tight — this school raises just $5 per student against a district average of $18.50.

The J train at Cleveland Street is the closest stop, about a 4-minute walk. The J and Z lines also stop at Van Siclen Avenue (about 6 minutes), and the C train stops there as well (about 8 minutes).