At a Glance
A zoned Bushwick elementary quietly doubling its proficiency rates over the past decade, with families who trust the school but struggle to get kids through the door.
Best suited for
Zoned Bushwick families who want a tight-knit community school with strong parent-school trust and are ready to prioritize daily attendance to unlock the academic gains already underway.
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
- Academic proficiency has roughly doubled since 2016, one of the steepest sustained turnarounds in the data set.
- Math proficiency now slightly exceeds the district average despite starting well below it.
- Parent-principal and parent-teacher trust both sit in the mid-to-high 90s — among the strongest family-school relationships in the district.
- Near-zero suspension rate combined with 97% teacher-reported safety points to a calm, well-managed building.
- The student body closely reflects the surrounding Bushwick Latino community, giving zoned families a school that feels like their own.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 64.6% is high and is likely the single biggest barrier to even stronger academic results.
- ELA proficiency is still about 8 points below the district average.
- Family survey response rate was only 37%, so the very high trust numbers may reflect the most engaged families rather than the full parent body.
- Teacher instruction quality and teacher-principal trust sit a few points below district averages.
- Low racial diversity (diversity index 26%) means the school isn't a fit for families specifically seeking a more mixed environment.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 32
District 32 is a mixed bag, with high-scoring charters like Success Academy Bushwick at 96/100 but many zoned schools in the 60s. P.S. 123's overall score of 1.63/4 is slightly below the district average of 1.78, but the upward trajectory and the family trust numbers make it more interesting than the raw score suggests.
Academics
After years stuck in the teens and twenties, P.S. 123's 2025 proficiency rates jumped to 37.6% in ELA and 43.9% in math. Math now sits slightly above the district average of 43.2%, while ELA remains about 8 points below the district's 45.9%. The trajectory from 2016 to 2025 is one of the steeper sustained climbs in the data, with gains happening in fits and starts rather than a single jump. The 2025 numbers should be read as a real signal of progress, though the school hasn't yet caught up to district peers on ELA.
Culture
The day-to-day feel of P.S. 123 is calm and trusting — 97% of teachers report feeling safe, suspensions are essentially nonexistent (1 total in 2023-24), and parent-principal trust is a striking 96%. Teacher-reported instruction quality (81%) and teacher-principal trust (79%) lag the district averages a bit, suggesting room to grow on the staff side. The real concern is chronic absenteeism at 64.6%, well above what most parents would expect, which means a lot of kids are missing enough school to undermine even strong teaching.
Community
P.S. 123 is 89% Hispanic, with small Black, Asian, and White populations making up the rest — a student body that closely tracks the surrounding Bushwick community. The economic need index of 84.6% means most families are navigating real financial pressure. The diversity index of 26% is low, so families looking for a more racially mixed environment may need to look elsewhere, but those who value a school that reflects their neighborhood will find that here.
Neighborhood
Bushwick (West) is a densely populated, predominantly renter neighborhood with a median household income of $86,760 and a 20% poverty rate. About 11% of households have children under 18, and 44% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — a community with both working-class roots and a growing professional presence. Homeownership is just 11%, so most families in the zone are renters. The area is well-served by the L train, with the M line also within reach.
Getting to school is easy on the L — Jefferson St is about a 4-minute walk and DeKalb Av about 5 minutes, with the M at Knickerbocker Av roughly 9 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) · 162 families responded (37% rate)
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Pre-K
P.S. 123 Suydam 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. 123 Suydam 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. 123 Suydam a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 123 Suydam earns an overall rating of 41/100 — 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 in line with the District 32 average.
- What grades does P.S. 123 Suydam serve?
- P.S. 123 Suydam serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 123 Suydam?
- P.S. 123 Suydam admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 123 Suydam public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 123 Suydam is a public school in NYC Community School District 32.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 123 Suydam in?
- P.S. 123 Suydam is in Bushwick (West), Brooklyn.