At a Glance
A zoned PK-8 in a family-dense Midwood pocket, with families who love the school even when test scores lag.
Best suited for
Families zoned for the school who value a PK-8 grade span, low-suspension culture, and high parent engagement, and who are willing to be active partners in raising academic outcomes.
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
- Zero suspensions for three straight years, with a discipline model that leans on relationships rather than removal.
- A PK-8 zoned campus — kids can stay through middle school without reapplying, which is increasingly rare in Brooklyn.
- A notably Asian-majority (44%) student body in a borough where that's not the norm, paired with a strong White contingent and a growing Hispanic population.
- Honors/Accelerated academic track offered alongside ELL support, serving a wide range of learners.
- Parent satisfaction and parent-principal trust both run above district averages — families clearly feel connected to this school.
Things to consider
- Test scores in both ELA and math trail the district average by roughly 15 percentage points.
- Chronic absenteeism is high at 63% — a schoolwide issue worth asking about at a tour.
- Teacher trust in leadership is low (54%) and teacher-rated instruction quality lags the district by about 13 points, even as parents report strong relationships.
- PTA fundraising comes in at just $8 per student — under one-ninth of the district average — which limits what the parent organization can fund.
- The economic need index of 79.7 means most students qualify for free lunch, signaling the school serves a population that often needs extra support.
Based on 2023-24 data
School SummaryDistrict 21
Within District 21, P.S. 99 sits below the district average overall, well behind peer schools like Brooklyn School of Inquiry and I.S. 98 Bay Academy that post 90+ scores. It's a typical-or-below zoned option in a district with several higher-performing alternatives.
Academics
ELA proficiency at 44.6% and math at 53.8% both sit below the District 21 averages of roughly 60% and 63% — students here are meeting proficiency at lower rates than peers across the district. Math, though, is on a real upswing: after dipping to 37.8% in 2022, it's climbed steadily back to 53.8% in 2025, the highest score in the eight years on record. ELA has been steadier, hovering in the high 30s to high 40s without a clear breakout year. The school landed a 1.97/4 overall score, putting it below the district average of 2.46.
Culture
The vibe here is mixed but telling: families are deeply invested (93% parent satisfaction, 97% parent-teacher trust, 100% reporting strong relationships), while the staff tells a more complicated story. Teacher instruction quality is 79% — well below the district's 92.6% — and only 54% of teachers trust their principal, a meaningfully low number. Discipline is a bright spot: zero suspensions last year, continuing a three-year downward trend. Chronic absenteeism at 63.1% is high, though, with about two-thirds of girls, Hispanic, and White students missing the threshold.
Community
The student body is 44% Asian, 31% White, 19% Hispanic, and 5% Black — an unusual mix for a Brooklyn zoned school, where Asian enrollment typically runs lower. About 80% of students qualify as economically needy, and 13% have IEPs. The neighborhood around the school is solidly middle-class by city standards, with a median household income around $71,000 and a notable homeownership rate of 41.6% — meaning many students arrive from families who own their homes and plan to stay.
Neighborhood
Mapleton-Midwood is a residential pocket of single-family homes and small apartment buildings, where more than a third of households include children and roughly 36% of adults have a bachelor's degree. It's a middle-income neighborhood with a sizable homeowner population, anchored by quiet blocks and a strong Orthodox Jewish and Asian family presence in surrounding areas. The pace is slower than more-trendy parts of Brooklyn, which is exactly what many parents here want.
The Q train is the closest option — Avenue J is about an 8-minute walk, Avenue M about 9 minutes, and Avenue H about 12 minutes. Outside of the Q, families are mostly driving or doing short local walks.
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) · 424 families responded (51% 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. 099 Isaac Asimov 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. 099 Isaac Asimov 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. 099 Isaac Asimov admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Isaac Asimov (P.S. 99)Zoned72 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.
- 3Rank 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. 099 Isaac Asimov a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 099 Isaac Asimov earns an overall rating of 49/100 — 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 below the District 21 average.
- What grades does P.S. 099 Isaac Asimov serve?
- P.S. 099 Isaac Asimov serves grades Pre-K to 8.
- How do students get into P.S. 099 Isaac Asimov?
- P.S. 099 Isaac Asimov admits by zone. For elementary grades, children who live in its zone get a guaranteed seat; for the older grades, living in the zone gives priority, not a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 099 Isaac Asimov public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 099 Isaac Asimov is a public school in NYC Community School District 21.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 099 Isaac Asimov in?
- P.S. 099 Isaac Asimov is in Mapleton-Midwood (West), Brooklyn.