P.S. 160 Walt Disney

Test scores at P.S. 160 have followed a dramatic arc. The school was already climbing before COVID — from 29% ELA in 2016 to 48.8% in 2019 — then crashed to 25.2% in 2022, then roared back to 59.7% in 2025. That's a 34.5-point ELA gain in three years, and math climbed even harder — from 15.2% to 54.9%, a 39.7-point jump. Both now sit above the district averages (56.7% ELA, 55.6% math). The younger grades are driving this: third-graders hit 71.4% ELA and 73.5% math — genuine excellence. Fourth grade is solid across both subjects (56.6% each). Fifth grade math lags at 34.3%, suggesting some unfinished learning from earlier pandemic years.

If you go by the survey numbers, this is a school where people genuinely like working and learning. Teachers rate instruction quality at 94% and report 98% safety — among the highest in the district. Trust between teachers and principal sits at 95%, and parents give 92-94% marks across satisfaction and trust metrics. There's a real warmth here. But the attendance data tells a different story: chronic absenteeism is a staggering 76.8%, with Black students missing at 83.6%. This isn't a discipline problem — the school has had zero suspensions for three straight years — it's something deeper, possibly tied to health, housing instability, or family schedules in a neighborhood where many parents work outside traditional hours. The school is clearly doing something right on relationship-building; the challenge is turning that trust into daily presence.

P.S. 160 reflects the neighborhood it serves: 65% Black, 30% Hispanic, with very small Asian and white populations. The economic need index of 60.7% signals significant poverty — over a fifth of students have IEPs. Yet Co-op City itself is somewhat paradoxical: median income is near $59K, homeownership is high at 44%, and poverty is relatively low at 10.9%. The low family density (just 11.8% of households have children) means this is an aging community where families with kids may be a minority. PTA fundraising is minimal — essentially zero per student — suggesting limited volunteer energy or wealthy donors. What the school lacks in resourced fundraising it seems to make up in relational capital: families clearly trust the leadership.

Co-op City is one of the largest cooperative housing developments in the country, built in the 1960s as affordable homeownership. It's a self-contained world — sprawling apartment blocks, shopping centers, and its own schools. The neighborhood scores moderately on safety (59th percentile) and transit (62nd), but scores low on family density and education orientation (28th percentile), which aligns with the fact that most residents are older adults without children. There are green spaces and parks, and the area has a reputation for being stable and community-oriented. For families, the trade-off is clear: it's a affordable, quiet, residential corner of the Bronx — but not particularly kid-centralized compared to neighborhoods with higher family density.

Co-op City is car-dependent for most families. The school sits near major roads, and while there are bus routes, most families drive or get dropped off. Walkability is moderate within the development itself but not walkable in the traditional NYC sense.