At a Glance
A diverse zoned elementary in Bensonhurst where families feel deeply connected to the school — even as test scores and attendance lag behind the district
Best suited for
Families zoned for P.S. 112 who value a tight-knit school community with engaged parents and minimal discipline, and who are willing to be active around attendance and academics rather than relying on the school to drive them.
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
- 97% parent-teacher and parent-principal trust — families feel heard here, with 100% reporting strong relationships
- Grade 3 math proficiency at 75.6% shows the school can produce strong results at the younger grades
- Essentially zero suspensions — discipline isn't a concern at this school
- 71 St D train is a two-minute walk, making this one of the easier commutes in the district
- PTA fundraising matches the district average despite a 69.6% economic need index, showing real family investment
Things to consider
- 79.4% chronic absenteeism is very high — and 90.2% for Asian students specifically — meaning most kids miss 10%+ of school days
- ELA and math proficiency both sit 5+ points below the district average
- Teacher-rated instruction quality (84%) runs well below the district's 92%, and principal trust from teachers is similarly soft
- Grade 4 scores drag down the school picture, with math at just 56.7%
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 20
Among District 20 peers listed, schools score 80–94 out of 100, putting P.S. 112's 2.53/4 overall score toward the lower end of that range — a solid neighborhood zoned school, but not one of the district's standouts.
Academics
P.S. 112 sits below the District 20 average on both ELA (60.7% vs. 66.2%) and math (65.8% vs. 71.2%). Math has trended upward over the long run — from 50.7% in 2016 to 65.8% in 2025 — while ELA has bounced around the low 60s since 2018 after a dip in 2017. Grade 3 leads the way (ELA 65%, math 75.6%), but grade 4 pulls the school down (math 56.7%). The pattern suggests younger students are getting a stronger foundation, with proficiency slipping as kids move up.
Culture
The climate data is a study in contrasts. Parents give the school a near-unanimous thumbs-up — 95% satisfied, 97% trust both teachers and the principal, 100% report strong relationships, and 497 families bothered to fill out the survey (a 68% response rate). But chronic absenteeism is at 79.4%, with Asian students hitting 90.2% — a serious flag. Teachers rate their own instruction quality at 84% (well below the district's 92%) and principal trust at 82%, suggesting some friction inside the building that families don't seem to see. Discipline is essentially a non-issue, with just 2 suspensions last year.
Community
With 708 students, P.S. 112 is a mid-sized elementary with a class size of 25 and a 64% diversity index. The racial mix (Asian, Hispanic, and White families each making up a large share, with Black students at just 1%) mirrors Bensonhurst's evolving immigrant-rooted character. Seventeen percent of students have IEPs, and the economic need index of 69.6% signals a working- and middle-class population rather than an affluent one — yet PTA fundraising matches the district average, suggesting families dig deep regardless.
Neighborhood
Bensonhurst is a working-class, family-rooted neighborhood where the median household income sits around $65,000 and about one in five households includes children. Roughly a third of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and most families rent — homeownership is only 32.4% — though home values top $1 million, reflecting the area's tight housing market. A 17.4% poverty rate rounds out a neighborhood that's economically mixed but anchored by multigenerational households.
The 71 St D train stop is about a two-minute walk from the school, with the 79 St D stop and the New Utrecht Av N stop each around nine minutes away.
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
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) · 497 families responded (68% rate)
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. 112 Lefferts Park 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. 112 Lefferts Park 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.
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. 112 Lefferts Park a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 112 Lefferts Park earns an overall rating of 63/100 — 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 20 average.
- What grades does P.S. 112 Lefferts Park serve?
- P.S. 112 Lefferts Park serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 112 Lefferts Park?
- P.S. 112 Lefferts Park admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 112 Lefferts Park public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 112 Lefferts Park is a public school in NYC Community School District 20.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 112 Lefferts Park in?
- P.S. 112 Lefferts Park is in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.