P.S. 116 Mary Lindley Murray

P.S. 116's 60.2% ELA proficiency and 51.6% math proficiency land well below the District 2 averages of 73.2% and 72.5%. The trajectory tells a clearer story: after a strong 2023 (75.4% ELA, 69.6% math), both subjects have now declined two years in a row, with math falling faster. Grade 5 students (68.2% ELA, 57.4% math) outperform Grade 3 and Grade 4 by a wide margin, suggesting either improving instruction as students age or a weaker cohort at the lower grades that parents should ask about.

The day-to-day feel here is calm and family-connected — zero suspensions, 98% parent-principal trust, and 100% of teachers reporting collegial relationships. But attendance is the elephant in the room: 81.5% daily attendance and 44.7% chronic absenteeism are far below the district's 91.95% / low-teens norm, and the gap is concentrated among White (73.1%) and Asian (75.9%) students rather than the Black (29.3%) and Hispanic (23.5%) students, an unusual pattern worth asking the school about. Parents who do engage are largely satisfied (88%) and feel heard by teachers (96%) and the principal (98%), even though teacher-rated instruction quality (85%) and safety (91%) trail district averages.

With 381 students and an average class size of 25.8, P.S. 116 is on the smaller side for a District 2 elementary. The student body is 44% White, 21% Asian, 21% Hispanic, 7% Black, and 7% multiracial — a diverse mix that mirrors Murray Hill's blend of long-time residents and newer professional families, though the neighborhood's very low share of households with children (7.6%) means the school is feeding from a small slice of the census tract. The economic need index of 30 is moderate, and 16% of students have IEPs.

Murray Hill-Kips Bay is a dense, well-educated Manhattan neighborhood with a median household income of $137,070 and 82.2% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher — typical of the professional families who move into the area for its subway access. Only 7.9% of residents live below the poverty line, and homeownership is rare at 28.1% (median home value $970,364), meaning most P.S. 116 families are renting. The neighborhood skews adult — just 7.6% of households have children — so the school serves a relatively small share of the surrounding community.

Families can reach the school from the 33 St (6) station in about 5 minutes, the 28 St (6) station in about 7 minutes, or Grand Central-42 St (7) in about 10 minutes.