P.S. 124 Yung Wing

This is a high-performing school by any measure. The 89.2% ELA proficiency and 87.7% math proficiency both sit well above the District 2 averages of roughly 73% and 73% respectively. The trend tells a striking story: ELA has climbed from 64% in 2016 to 89.2% in 2025, a 25-point gain over a decade, while math has risen from 79% to the high 80s and 90s. By grade, the trajectory is consistent — Grade 3 hits 89.6% ELA / 88.1% math, Grade 4 dips slightly (83.8% / 81.1%), and Grade 5 peaks at 95.2% in both subjects. The overall quality review score of 3.54 out of 4 reinforces what the numbers say: this is a school where students are consistently performing above grade level.

The day-to-day feel here is calm and trusting. Attendance is exceptional at 96.8%, well above the district average of about 92%, and there have been zero suspensions reported across the last three school years — a remarkable run of consistency. Parent survey numbers are striking: 99% report trust in teachers, 97% trust the principal, 100% say the school has strong relationships, and 95% are satisfied overall, with an unusually high 98% of families returning the survey. The one wobble is teacher-principal trust at 71% — meaningfully below the high marks teachers give on instruction quality (89%) and collegial trust (89%). That's worth asking about on a tour. Teacher-reported safety at 92% is solid, though slightly below the district average.

The student body is 91% Asian, with small shares of Black, Hispanic, White, and multiracial students, and the diversity index sits at 23% — among the lower in the district. That composition closely mirrors the surrounding neighborhood, where the population skews heavily Asian American. The school also serves 15% students with IEPs and an economic need index of 55.2, suggesting a meaningful mix of working- and middle-class families.

The school sits in the Chinatown-Two Bridges neighborhood, a dense, walkable slice of lower Manhattan where homeownership is rare (10.4%) and the median household income is $35,443. About a third of households live below the poverty line, and only 7.8% of households include children — so the families with school-age kids in this neighborhood are a relatively small slice of the population around them. The area is a hub of immigrant family life, and that texture shapes who attends the school.

Families have reasonable subway access. Grand St (B, D) is about a 6-minute walk, Canal St (J, Z) is also about 6 minutes, and Canal St (N, Q) is roughly 7 minutes away — giving multiple options for commutes into and out of the neighborhood.