P.S. 161 Juan Ponce De Leon School

Test scores remain below district averages — the District 7 ELA average is around 51% and math is around 49%, while P.S. 161 came in at 40.8% and 32.7% respectively — but the 2025 results mark a dramatic reversal of a years-long slide. ELA proficiency had been stuck in the high 20s since 2019 and actually dropped to 24.6% in 2024 before bouncing up by more than 16 points; math made a similar 13-point leap. The picture isn't uniform, though: third-graders hit 54.3% proficiency in both subjects (essentially matching the district), while fourth-graders dropped to 25% in ELA and just 14.3% in math. That sharp grade-level gap suggests strong instruction in the early years and real struggles as students get older, whether due to cohort effects, pandemic-era disruptions, or weaker intermediate-grade support. The school's overall quality score of 1.47 out of 4.0 still trails the district's 2.01, so this looks like a school in recovery rather than at the front of the pack.

The day-to-day atmosphere at P.S. 161 is shaped by a striking split between how families and how teachers experience the school. Parents give the school glowing marks — 93% satisfaction, 94% trust in teachers, 94% trust in the principal, and 96% say there are strong relationships with their kids' educators. Teachers, by contrast, are far less sanguine about their own working conditions: only 70% rate instruction quality positively (versus 88% districtwide) and just 50% say they trust the principal, even though 96% say they trust each other. Teacher-reported safety sits at 68%, well below the district's 80.5%. Attendance is a real headwind — chronic absenteeism is at 63.8%, meaning roughly two of every three students miss enough school to be flagged, and overall attendance is a touch below district average. The one unequivocal bright spot is discipline: the school has logged zero suspensions for three straight years, which is rare for a building this size and tells you something real about how adults handle behavior in the building.

P.S. 161's student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic (76%) and Black (21%), with Asian, white, multiracial, and Native American students each making up about 1%. The diversity index of 38% reflects how concentrated the population is rather than any particular lack of mixing. The economic profile is heavy: an economic need index of 92.2 means almost every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch, and 28% of students have IEPs, well above what you'd typically see in a district 7 elementary. With 327 students across pre-K through fifth grade and an average class size of 20.5, the school runs on the small side, which can mean closer relationships but also fewer peers per grade.

Melrose is a dense, working-class corner of the South Bronx where the median household income sits around $30,236 and just 15.7% of households include children under 18 — meaning the families who do live here tend to be younger and more crowded into shared housing. Homeownership is only 10%, so most residents rent, and the median home value of around $365,899 reflects a market dominated by small multi-family buildings. Only 13.9% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, which is below the citywide norm. For families with school-age kids, this is a neighborhood where neighbors know each other, where apartment buildings cluster around schools, and where school choice often means weighing a zoned school against a nearby charter.

Three subway stops are within walking distance: the 6 train at East 149th Street (about 4 minutes), the 2 and 5 trains at Jackson Avenue (about 5 minutes), and the 6 train at East 143rd Street–St. Mary's Street (about 8 minutes). That gives families real flexibility for after-school trips and commutes from outside the immediate area.