P.S. 158 Bayard Taylor

Both subjects land well above district averages — 89.6% in ELA versus a 73.2% district mean, and 87.3% in math versus 72.5% district-wide. Scores dipped during the pandemic years (78.1% ELA and 77.1% math in 2022) but have since climbed to multi-year highs, with math in particular rebounding strongly. Results are consistent across grades 3-5, with no weak link in the tested cohort.

The survey numbers are about as strong as you'll find in a city elementary: 97% parent-teacher trust, 100% teacher-reported safety, 100% of teachers reporting strong relationships, and zero suspensions in each of the last three reported years. Attendance is healthy at 93.8%. One figure worth flagging honestly — chronic absenteeism is reported at 87.6% overall, which is unusually high even next to the strong attendance rate and may reflect extended-family travel patterns common in this demographic rather than disengagement.

The student body is 68% White, 13% Asian, 9% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, and 2% Black, with an economic need index of just 11 — a much lower-need population than the citywide norm. The neighborhood census tells a similar story: median household income of about $139,000, an 80% bachelor's-degree rate, and an 8% poverty rate. This is a school that largely mirrors its affluent Upper East Side catchment.

Upper East Side-Lenox Hill-Roosevelt Island is a dense, educated, and well-heeled stretch of Manhattan where about 18.5% of households include children and most residents rent rather than own. The census profile — high incomes, an 80% college-degree rate, and a $1.2M+ median home value — points to a neighborhood where families have significant resources, both for private-school alternatives and for supplementing public schooling.

There are three subway options within roughly 9-11 minutes on foot: the Q at 86 St, the Q at 72 St, and the 6 at 77 St. Most families will walk, scooter, or drive rather than take the train.