At a Glance
A family-trusted Highbridge elementary where math proficiency has tripled in a decade
Best suited for
Zoned families in Highbridge who want a neighborhood school with strong family engagement, a math program that's been quietly gaining ground for a decade, and a culture where parents feel heard — and who are prepared to engage actively around attendance.
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
- Math proficiency has more than tripled since 2016, from 14% to 47% — and now exceeds the district average.
- 98% parent satisfaction is well above the district average of 94%, with 97% parent-teacher trust.
- Zero suspensions for three consecutive years, in a district where the average suspension rate is 0.4%.
- 100% of staff describe strong school relationships — a rare perfect score on the survey.
- Grade 4 and 5 scores are notably stronger than Grade 3, suggesting students who stay through the school make meaningful academic gains.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 49% — roughly half of students miss significant school — is a real concern, and the attendance rate of 87.9% lags the district average.
- ELA proficiency at 38% trails the district average, with year-to-year volatility that suggests results depend heavily on which cohort you're looking at.
- The diversity index of 38% means students will be in a fairly homogeneous environment — enriching in some ways, narrower in others.
- PS 126 sits below the district's high-flying charter schools on the DOE's overall scorecard; families comparing to Icahn or Success Academy will see a gap.
- Highbridge's economic pressures show up in the data — an economic need index of 94 means most families are navigating real financial stress.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 9
In District 9 — a Bronx district where charter schools (Icahn, Success Academy) dominate the top of the rankings — PS 126 is a traditional zoned public school that lands just below the district average on the DOE's composite score. Among its non-charter peers it's a typical-to-below-average elementary by the official metric, though its parent satisfaction, math gains, and zero-suspension record tell a more nuanced story than the ranking alone suggests.
Academics
Math proficiency at 47.3% is now above the district average of 44.7%, and the trajectory is the standout: from 14.1% in 2016 to 47.3% in 2025 — more than tripling in a decade. ELA at 38.2% trails the district average of 44.8% and has been volatile year-to-year (22% in 2024 jumping to 38% in 2025), suggesting cohort effects rather than a smooth trend. Grade-level breakdowns tell a useful story: Grade 3 ELA at 27% drags the school average down, while Grade 4 (48% ELA, 54% math) and Grade 5 (41% ELA, 47% math) show students who stay through the school gain real ground.
Culture
The most striking number here is also the most uncomfortable: 49% of students are chronically absent — roughly half — and overall attendance at 87.9% trails the district average of 90.1%. Yet the survey responses tell a much warmer story: 100% of surveyed staff report strong relationships, 98% of families say they're satisfied, parent-teacher trust sits at 97%, and teacher-reported safety at 84% is slightly above the district average. The school has had zero suspensions for three straight years. The day-to-day feel, by these measures, is one of trust and warmth — but chronic absenteeism is a real, visible friction point families should know about.
Community
PS 126's 518 students are 73% Hispanic and 25% Black, closely mirroring Highbridge's working-class, predominantly Latino population. The economic need index of 94 (out of 100) places this among the city's higher-need schools, and 15% of students have IEPs. With a diversity index of just 38%, the student body is fairly homogeneous by city standards — most families sending children here share a similar cultural and economic background.
Neighborhood
Highbridge is a dense, working-class Bronx neighborhood where median household income sits around $40,000 and roughly a third of residents live below the poverty line. Just 12.7% of households include children, and homeownership is rare at 4.5% — this is a mostly renter community where many families have been here for generations. Families rely on the subway and on each other; the neighborhood's character is shaped by long-standing Latino and Black households navigating a tight economy.
The closest subway is the 4 train at 167 St, about an 8-minute walk; the 4, B, and D lines at 161 St-Yankee Stadium are about 12 minutes away 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) · 379 families responded (83% 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. 126 Dr Marjorie H Dunbar 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. 126 Dr Marjorie H Dunbar 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. 126 Dr Marjorie H Dunbar a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 126 Dr Marjorie H Dunbar earns an overall rating of 43/100 — 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 9 average.
- What grades does P.S. 126 Dr Marjorie H Dunbar serve?
- P.S. 126 Dr Marjorie H Dunbar serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 126 Dr Marjorie H Dunbar?
- P.S. 126 Dr Marjorie H Dunbar admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 126 Dr Marjorie H Dunbar public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 126 Dr Marjorie H Dunbar is a public school in NYC Community School District 9.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 126 Dr Marjorie H Dunbar in?
- P.S. 126 Dr Marjorie H Dunbar is in Highbridge, Bronx.