P.S. 190 Sheffield

The academic story here is extraordinary. P.S. 190 has climbed from 36% ELA and 24% math proficiency in 2016 to 81.8% and 87.9% respectively in 2025 — a transformation that puts it roughly 33 percentage points above the district average in both subjects. Grade 3 performance is particularly strong at 81.3% in both subjects. This isn't a school that always excelled; it's a school that has improved dramatically, meaning the current programming and leadership are clearly working. The question for families is whether this upward trajectory can be sustained as the school continues to grow its reputation.

The survey data tells a remarkable story of trust. Teacher instruction quality scores 100%, teacher-principal trust scores 100%, and teacher-reported safety scores 100% — a rare trifecta. Parent satisfaction sits at 93%, with parent-principal trust at 95%. However, there's a notable gap: chronic absenteeism is high at 46.9% (notably worse for female students at 55.1% and Black students at 53.1%), and the attendance rate of 87% trails the district average of 89.9%. The school has zero suspensions, which reflects either strong behavior management or a very specific approach to discipline. Family survey response rate is only 30% with just 12 teacher responses — small sample sizes that make the perfect scores more impressive but also mean less robust data. The discipline trend shows zero suspensions for the past two years after one suspension in 2022-23.

With 138 students, this is a tiny school — enrollment is smaller than most elementary schools in the city. The student body is predominantly Black (69%) with significant Hispanic representation (20%), reflecting the demographics of East New York. Economic need is very high at 84.2%, and 17% of students have IEPs. The diversity index of 50% is moderate. This is a neighborhood school serving a high-need community, and the academic gains here are happening despite — not because of — the economic challenges families face.

East New York-New Lots is a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood with significant challenges and real strengths. The median household income is $58,087 with a 22.6% poverty rate, and only 16% of residents have a BA+. Safety scores are low (31.42 percentile), and environmental health indicators show concerns — the asthma emergency department rate is notably high at 104.4 per 100,000. However, transit access is good (68.58 percentile) and family density is relatively high (63.6). Homeownership is low at 29.3%, meaning most families rent. There's a strong sense of community here, and the neighborhood has been undergoing changes in recent years.

Many families walk to this zoned school — it's designed to serve the immediate neighborhood. Those coming from farther afield rely on good transit access (the area scores well on transit) or car pickup.