P.S. 105 The Bay School

ELA proficiency at 24.3% and math at 18.6% sit roughly 30 percentage points below the District 27 averages of 56% and 57% — this is a school where most students are below grade level on state tests, not catching up to peers. Science proficiency is even lower at 13%. That said, the trajectory is genuinely upward: ELA has climbed from 15.8% in 2016 and math from 9.8%, with notable jumps in 2023 (ELA 25.5%, math 18.5%) and a math bump to 23% in 2024. Scores wobble year to year, but the long view shows real movement from a very low floor.

There's a striking split in the climate data here. Parents report very high trust in teachers (97%) and the principal (96%) and 89% satisfaction — meaningfully above what you'd expect given the test scores. But teachers tell a more cautious story: only 62% feel safe (vs. a 92% district average) and just 76% rate instruction quality as strong (vs. 91% districtwide). Attendance is soft at 84.9% with 38.5% chronic absenteeism — a serious concern, since kids can't learn if they aren't there. On the upside, suspensions have dropped sharply, from 25 in 2022-23 to 12 in 2023-24, suggesting the school's restorative approach is gaining traction.

The student body is 59% Black and 36% Hispanic, with small Asian and multiracial shares — a reflection of the surrounding Rockaways community rather than a school that draws from elsewhere. The economic need index of 94% (out of 100) signals intense poverty: nearly every family qualifies for economic support. Nearly three in ten students have IEPs, well above the citywide norm, and the school runs formal ELL support. With zoned admissions, the families here are the families of the neighborhood — long-time residents, immigrant households, and a community that knows each other.

The school anchors the Rockaway Beach–Arverne–Edgemere area, a working-class stretch of the Rockaway peninsula where the median household income sits around $67,750 and about a quarter of residents live below the poverty line. Just 15% of households here include children, and only a third of homes are owner-occupied, so the population skews more renters, singles, and older residents than a typical family-belt neighborhood. A 28% bachelor's-or-higher rate and a median home value near $566,000 reflect the unusual Rockaways market — modest incomes next to surprisingly housing-inland property values.

The A train is the lifeline here: Beach 44 St is about a 7-minute walk, Beach 60 St around 10 minutes, and Beach 36 St roughly 14 minutes — workable for commuters but not a doorstep stop.