At a Glance
A small zoned elementary in Park Slope where parent trust runs high even as proficiency trails the district
Best suited for
Families zoned for the school who value small enrollment, strong family-school relationships, and a non-punitive discipline culture, and who can supplement academic support outside the classroom.
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
- Zero suspensions over three consecutive reported years, pointing to a restorative discipline approach.
- Teacher-reported safety of 99% — among the highest in the district.
- Parent-principal trust at 93% and parent satisfaction at 95%, signaling unusually strong family-school relationships.
- A student body that doesn't mirror the wealthy surrounding neighborhood, with a clear economic and racial mix.
- Small enrollment of 303 keeps the school feeling tight-knit.
Things to consider
- Math and ELA proficiency run roughly half the district averages — a significant academic gap.
- Chronic absenteeism at 43.5% is high and likely directly affects outcomes.
- PTA fundraising is less than half the district average, which can mean fewer enrichment programs.
- With 26% of students holding IEPs, the quality of special education services matters a lot here.
- It's a zoned school — eligibility is determined by home address, not a choice application.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 15
District 15 includes some of Brooklyn's most sought-after elementary schools, and P.S. 124 sits well below its neighbors on both academic measures and the overall score. Peer schools like P.S. 172 and P.S. 321 post composite scores in the 90s; P.S. 124's overall score of 1.28/4 places it among the lower-performing zoned options in the district, despite stronger-than-typical climate marks.
Academics
On state tests, only about a third of students reach proficiency in ELA (35%) and fewer than a third in math (29.1%) — both well behind the district averages of roughly 65% and 63%. Grade-by-grade, third graders are struggling most sharply, with just 6.9% at math proficiency. The longer arc is concerning: scores peaked in 2018-2019 (ELA near 48%, math near 47%) and have generally trended downward since, dipping to roughly a quarter proficient in both subjects in 2024 before a modest rebound in 2025. The school is in catch-up mode, not leading.
Culture
The school's day-to-day climate tells a very different story than its test scores. Parent satisfaction sits at 95% — above the district average — and trust between parents and teachers runs at 95%, with 92% saying there are strong relationships. Teachers rate their own safety at 99%, well above the district norm, and discipline data shows zero suspensions across three reported years. The catch is chronic absenteeism at 43.5%, significantly higher than typical, with White and multiracial subgroups missing the most school days. A school where adults and families feel aligned, but getting kids through the door is a real challenge.
Community
The student body is majority Hispanic (52%) with smaller White (18%), Black (16%), and Asian (10%) shares — a mix that looks quite different from the surrounding Park Slope census, where median household income tops $191,000 and only 4.9% of residents live below the poverty line. About 70% of students qualify for the economic need index, and 26% have IEPs. PTA fundraising lands at about $180 per student, well under the district average of roughly $491, reflecting both the smaller school size and the economic mix of families attending.
Neighborhood
Park Slope around the school is a family-dense stretch of central Brooklyn with high household incomes, strong educational attainment (82.4% of adults hold a BA or higher), and modest homeownership. The median home value is among the highest in the city, and the area draws families with young children even as the broader population skews older. Streets are walkable and the immediate area is well-served by transit.
The school is genuinely transit-friendly — 4 Av-9 St on the F and G lines and Prospect Av on the R are both about a four-minute walk, and 4 Av-9 St on the R is around six minutes on foot.
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) · 219 families responded (83% 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. 124 Silas B. Dutcher 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. 124 Silas B. Dutcher 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. 124 Silas B. Dutcher a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 124 Silas B. Dutcher earns an overall rating of 32/100 — 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 15 average.
- What grades does P.S. 124 Silas B. Dutcher serve?
- P.S. 124 Silas B. Dutcher serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 124 Silas B. Dutcher?
- P.S. 124 Silas B. Dutcher admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 124 Silas B. Dutcher public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 124 Silas B. Dutcher is a public school in NYC Community School District 15.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 124 Silas B. Dutcher in?
- P.S. 124 Silas B. Dutcher is in Park Slope, Brooklyn.