P.S. 102 Jacques Cartier

Test scores at P.S. 102 remain below the District 4 average — 43.8% ELA versus 49.8% district-wide, and 36.8% math versus 45.2% district-wide. The overall quality score of 1.61 out of 4 places it below the district average of 1.90. However, the school has made substantial progress since the pandemic, with ELA jumping from 19.4% in 2022 to 43.8% in 2025, and math recovering from a low of 13.1% to 36.8%. Third and fourth graders perform notably stronger than fifth graders, suggesting recent instructional improvements are taking hold in younger grades.

The survey data tells a compelling story: families feel deeply connected to this school. Parent satisfaction sits at 96%, parent-teacher trust at 98%, and an remarkable 100% of families report strong relationships with teachers. Teacher instruction quality scores 93%. However, teacher-reported safety at 75% and teacher collegial trust at 75% suggest some staff concerns about the working environment. Discipline is minimal — just one suspension last year — indicating a restorative approach. Teachers appear to trust the principal less than families do (87%), which is worth noting for parents evaluating the school's leadership stability.

With 166 students across pre-K through 5th grade, P.S. 102 is a small school where teachers likely know every child. The demographics (51% Hispanic, 36% Black, 5% Asian, 4% White) closely mirror the surrounding East Harlem neighborhood, which has a similar composition. A third of students (33%) have IEPs, which is notable and suggests the school has robust special education services. The diversity index of 63% reflects a multiracial student body, and the economic need index of 90.5% indicates this is a school serving primarily working-class families.

East Harlem is a high-density, family-oriented neighborhood with an exceptionally low safety score (9.58 out of 100) and significant health environment concerns, including elevated lead rates and high asthma emergency department visits. However, it scores very highly on transit access (82.76) and family density (93.49), meaning getting around is easy and the neighborhood is full of other families with children. The education orientation score of 72.8 indicates families here prioritize schooling. Median household income is $36,709, and homeownership is just 8% — this is a renting, working-class community.

Given the high family density and low car ownership (8% homeownership), most families walk to school. The excellent transit score means students from across the neighborhood can arrive easily via bus or subway. The school is accessible without a car, which matters in a neighborhood where most families don't own one.