P.S. 091 The Albany Avenue School

PS 91's test scores have climbed dramatically since 2016, when just 27% of students were proficient in ELA and 23% in math. By 2025, those numbers reached 60.7% and 57.9% respectively — essentially matching district averages (60.5% ELA, 57.3% math). The most recent year's jump is particularly striking: math proficiency jumped from 47% to 58% year-over-year, signaling real momentum. Grade-level results are uneven — 3rd graders post an impressive 84% proficiency in both subjects, while 4th graders drop into the 30s before 5th graders recover into the 50s. The school's overall quality score of 2.37/4 sits squarely at the district average of 2.36.

The day-to-day feel at PS 91 reads as warm and trusting — 94% of parents are satisfied (above the district average of 91%), 97% trust the principal, and 100% report strong teacher-family relationships. Teachers rate safety at 98% and instruction quality at 94%, both well above district norms. The school has recorded zero suspensions for three straight years, a remarkable consistency that points to a restorative or relational discipline approach. The complication: chronic absenteeism sits at 64.5%, well above what's typical, meaning many families feel connected to the school even when their kids are missing a lot of days.

Eighty percent of PS 91's 197 students are Black, with Hispanic students making up another 17% — a demographic profile typical of this part of Crown Heights. The school's diversity index of 35% reflects how concentrated its enrollment is, with limited Asian or multiracial representation. Economic need runs high at 83.6, and 22% of students have IEPs. The surrounding neighborhood is notably less family-dense than the school population suggests — only 9.8% of Prospect Lefferts Gardens-Wingate households have children — meaning PS 91 serves a core group of neighborhood families rather than drawing from a deep bench of school-age kids.

Prospect Lefferts Gardens-Wingate is a neighborhood in transition — median household income of $73,345 sits comfortably above the city average, but only 22.5% of homes are owner-occupied, and the median home value of $949,275 reflects the area's recent price pressure. Just 9.8% of households include children, which means the school-age population here is concentrated rather than spread across many families. Forty-two percent of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, suggesting a population that's increasingly educated but not necessarily anchored long-term in the neighborhood.

PS 91 is beyond a quick subway hop — the nearest stations are Kingston Av (3) and Sterling St (2, 5), each about an 11-minute walk, with Crown Hts-Utica Av (3, 4) about 13 minutes away.