P.S. 133 Fred R Moore

Ten years ago, fewer than one in five students at P.S. 133 met ELA standards and only one in six met math standards. By 2025, ELA proficiency reached 52.9% — essentially matching the District 5 average of 53.9% — while math proficiency hit 58.3%, comfortably above the district average of 50.7%. The trajectory is steep and sustained: scores more than tripled between 2016 and 2025, with the biggest jump coming in 2023. The overall quality score of 2.22 out of 4 lands above the district average of 2.09. Grade 3 results are the strongest (70.4% math proficiency), with scores easing as students move up — a common pattern worth noting.

The day-to-day feel of P.S. 133 is unusually warm by any measure. Teacher trust in the principal sits at 99%, parent trust in the principal at 99%, and teacher-reported safety at 95% — all well above district averages. Parent satisfaction is 91%, slightly above the district norm. There have been zero suspensions in each of the last three years. The one number that gives pause is chronic absenteeism at 59.1% — meaning more than half of students miss 10% or more of school days — even though the overall attendance rate of 90.5% beats the district average of 88.6%. That gap suggests attendance is polarized: most families show up consistently, but a meaningful slice are struggling to get there regularly.

P.S. 133 serves a student body that is overwhelmingly Black (54%) and Hispanic (39%), with small shares of Asian, Native American, multiracial, and white students. The economic need index of 88.7 means nearly nine in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and 42% of students have IEPs — a notably high share that reflects an inclusive special education model. The diversity index is 54%, making this more of a two-community school than a melting pot, but the demographics closely mirror the surrounding East Harlem neighborhood.

P.S. 133 sits in the northern stretch of East Harlem, where median household income hovers around $36,700 and a third of residents live below the poverty line. The neighborhood skews heavily renter-occupied — only 8% of households own their homes — and just under 11% of households include children, which means this school is competing for enrollment against the realities of a population that is largely adult and working-class. Roughly 30% of neighborhood adults hold a bachelor's degree, a figure that speaks to the mix of generations and educational backgrounds surrounding the school.

The 135 St station (2 3 trains) is about a 7-minute walk, and the 125 St stations on the 4 5 6 and the 2 3 are each roughly 8 minutes away on foot.