P.S. 171 Patrick Henry

ELA proficiency of 89.5% and math proficiency of 92.8% are roughly 40 percentage points above the District 4 averages (49.8% ELA, 45.2% math) and put this school in the top tier of NYC public schools. The trajectory is striking — ELA climbed from 57.6% in 2016 to 89.5% in 2025, with a brief dip in 2024 (81.3%) before rebounding. Math has been even steadier, sitting in the low-90s for the last three reported years. By grade, every cohort from 3rd through 8th clears 84% proficiency in both subjects, with 3rd graders hitting 100% ELA and 4th graders hitting 100% math.

The school-day experience here is overwhelmingly positive according to families: 94% parent satisfaction, 96% trust in the principal, and 100% ratings on strong teacher-student relationships and instruction quality. Teacher trust in colleagues (89%) and in leadership (95%) is also healthy, though only 15 teachers responded to the survey, which limits how much weight that signal should carry. The chronic absenteeism rate of 75% is high — meaning three of four students miss at least 10% of the school year — even as overall attendance (92.4%) runs above the district average, so the absences are concentrated rather than uniform. Discipline is mild: only 5 suspensions last year (1% rate), though the count has risen each of the last three reported years from 0 to 2 to 5.

Of the 757 students, the majority are Hispanic (58%) and Black (25%), with Asian students at 11% and White students at 4% — a diversity index of 63%. East Harlem's broader neighborhood is working-class and predominantly Latino, with a median income well below the Manhattan average and a child-household rate under 9%, meaning many families likely commute in from outside the immediate area. The school's economic need index of 79 indicates most students come from low-income households, yet 18% of students have IEPs and the school offers ELL support, so it serves a genuinely broad range of learners under one roof.

The school sits in East Harlem, where median household income is about $44,000 and roughly three in ten residents live below the poverty line. The area has relatively few households with children (under 9%) and very low homeownership (under 8%), so the blocks immediately around the school are denser with adult renters than with young families. Three subway stations within a ten-minute walk give families multiple commute options from across the district.

The 103 St stop on the 6 line is about a five-minute walk from the school; the 96 St (6) and 110 St-Malcolm X Plaza (2 3) stations are each about a ten-minute walk.