P.S. 178 - Dr. Selman Waksman

The 2025 scores represent a dramatic shift: ELA proficiency jumped to 54.5% (from 31.8% in 2024) and math to 61.8% (from 44%). Math now sits above the district average of 55.6%, while ELA is just shy of the district's 56.7%. Looking further back, this is a striking reversal — from 2016 through 2019, both subjects hovered in the 20-33% range, and 2022 was a low point (ELA 20.5%, math 23.2%). The overall quality score of 2.33/4 edges out the district's 2.25. Whether this is a sustained trajectory or a one-year spike will be worth watching, but the 2025 numbers are genuinely encouraging. By grade, third through fifth graders posted proficiency rates in the 48-69% range across both subjects.

Parents clearly love this school: 95% satisfaction, 98% trust in teachers, 97% trust in the principal, and 100% report strong teacher-family relationships. The 133 family survey responses give those numbers real weight. Teacher instruction quality is solid at 85%, and zero suspensions across three consecutive years is notable for a school of this size. However, two things stand out: teacher-principal trust is only 53%, suggesting mixed staff feelings about leadership, and chronic absenteeism is extremely high at 75.7% — roughly three-quarters of students miss enough school to be flagged. Teacher-reported safety is 91%, slightly below the district's 95%.

The student body is 63% Black and 30% Hispanic, with small Asian, White, multiracial, and Native American populations. Twenty-two percent of students have IEPs, and the economic need index of 68.9 indicates a high share of students from low-income households. The surrounding community tells a similar story: Co-op City's median household income is $58,565, well below the citywide median, and the area's identity as a large housing cooperative shapes both its stability and its economic profile.

Co-op City is one of the Bronx's most distinctive neighborhoods: a sprawling middle-income housing cooperative where 44% of households are owner-occupiers and the median home value sits unusually low at $30,494, reflecting cooperative ownership rather than market pricing. About 11.8% of households have children, and 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. The neighborhood is solidly working-class, with a 10.9% poverty rate.

The 5 train is the closest subway option: Baychester Av is about a 10-minute walk, Gun Hill Rd about 17 minutes, and Eastchester-Dyre Av about 20 minutes. Most families likely rely on buses or cars for the daily school trip rather than walking to the subway.