P.S. 190 Sheffield

This is a remarkable academic story. ELA proficiency climbed from 36% in 2016 to 81.8% in 2025, and math went from 24% to 87.9% — both landing far above the District 19 averages of roughly 49% in each subject. The biggest jumps came after 2022: math proficiency jumped from 32.7% to 87.9% in three years, and ELA more than doubled from there. The 2025 overall score of 3.39 out of 4 sits well above the district average of 1.94, placing this small school at the top of District 19 alongside P.S. 149 Danny Kaye and East Brooklyn Ascend Charter.

The inside of this building looks healthy by every survey measure. Teachers rate instruction quality, principal trust, and safety at 100%, and parents give 93–95% satisfaction marks — all at or above district averages. There were zero suspensions in 2023-24, following just one the prior year. The thing parents should know: chronic absenteeism is high at 46.9%, well above where you'd want it, with female students (55%) and Black students (53%) absent at the highest rates. Daily attendance runs at 87%, slightly below the district's 89.9%. Day-to-day, teachers clearly trust leadership and feel safe — the building itself runs smoothly — but getting every child through those doors every day is a real challenge.

The student body is 69% Black, 20% Hispanic, 9% White, and 3% Asian — a diversity index of 50%. With 17% of students having IEPs and an economic need index of 84.2 (meaning a very high share of students come from low-income households), this is a school serving a community with real needs. The surrounding East New York-New Lots neighborhood reflects similar demographics: median household income sits around $58,000 with a 22.6% poverty rate, and only 29% of households own their homes. Families here and at the school look a lot alike.

P.S. 190 sits in East New York-New Lots, a working-class stretch of eastern Brooklyn where the median household income is about $58,000 and roughly one in four households lives below the poverty line. Homeownership is low (29%), though the median home value of $605,545 reflects the broader Brooklyn market more than local incomes. About 10.6% of neighborhood households include children, and only 16% of adults here have a bachelor's degree — a school serving this community is doing important work.

Three subway lines are within an easy walk: the 3 train at Pennsylvania Avenue (about 4 minutes on foot) and the L train at either New Lots Avenue or Livonia Avenue (each about 7 minutes). Bus service rounds out the options for families coming from further afield.