P.S. 125 Ralph Bunche

State test proficiency has climbed dramatically — ELA rose from 34% in 2016 to 78.3% in 2025, and math from roughly 51% to 78.7% over the same span, both landing well above District 5 averages of 53.9% and 50.7% respectively. The school's 3.14/4 overall quality score sits roughly 50% above the district mean of 2.09. Third and fourth graders lead the way (88%+ in both subjects), while fifth-grade proficiency drops noticeably to 64% in ELA and 61.5% in math — a worth-asking transition-year question.

Survey results are uniformly excellent: teacher-reported safety, parent-principal trust, and "strong relationships" all clock in at 97% or higher, and parent satisfaction (96%) outpaces the district average (91%). Suspensions have been zero for three straight years, an unusual record for any school, and the day-to-day feel appears calm and tight-knit. The dissonant data point is chronic absenteeism at 61.2% — meaning roughly six in ten students missed 10% or more of the school year — even though the regular attendance rate (89.4%) is only marginally above the district average.

The student body is 68% Black and Hispanic, with 20% white, 6% Asian, and the remainder multi-racial and Native American, against a 79% diversity index. Twenty-one percent of students have IEPs and the economic need index sits at 64.2, indicating moderate-to-high need. The school sits in a neighborhood where nearly three-quarters of adults hold a bachelor's degree yet roughly one in five households lives below the poverty line — a mix that likely explains the strong family engagement inside this building.

Morningside Heights, sitting between Columbia University and central Harlem, draws a steady stream of educators, graduate students, hospital workers, and longtime residents. Median household income runs about $97,000, but with a 22.9% poverty rate and only 21.9% homeownership, the area mixes young professional renters with multigenerational families in public housing and rent-stabilized apartments. Most adults here hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the area has long been a stable family enclave despite its transient student population.

The school is about a 4-minute walk from the 125 St A/C/B/D station and about 8 minutes from both the 125 St (1) and 116 St (C/B) stations, giving families three subway stops within easy reach.