P.S. 195

P.S. 195's 29.1% ELA and 34.9% math proficiency remain meaningfully below the district averages of roughly 45% and 43%, and the overall score of 1.28 out of 4 trails the district's 1.76. But the trajectory is genuinely encouraging: ELA scores have roughly tripled since 2016, and math has done the same, with the 2025 results representing the school's best performance on record. Third graders outperform fourth and fifth graders, which is common in elementary schools and suggests kids are building real foundations here, even if those skills haven't fully landed by the upper grades yet.

The parent-trust numbers at P.S. 195 are some of the highest you'll see anywhere: 98% trust the principal, 96% report strong relationships with staff, and 92% are satisfied overall — figures that match or beat district averages. The discipline picture is unusually clean, with zero suspensions reported across the last three years. The two flags worth knowing are chronic absenteeism (71.3% of students missed enough school to be flagged, well above typical) and teacher-reported safety at 80%, both running below district norms — practical reminders that the day-to-day experience here includes real challenges with getting kids to school regularly and with how staff perceive their environment.

About 800 students attend P.S. 195, and the building is overwhelmingly Hispanic (80%), with Black students making up 14% and a small mix of Asian and Native American enrollment. The diversity index sits at 37%, reflecting a student body that is largely reflective of the surrounding neighborhood rather than broadly mixed — most families are working-class, with an economic need index of 91.6% signaling very high poverty. About 18% of students have IEPs, a meaningful share that reflects both the community's needs and the school's capacity to serve them.

The school sits in the Soundview-Bruckner-Bronx River area, where median household income is around $41,000 and roughly a third of households live below the poverty line — a working-class neighborhood where most families rent (homeownership sits at just 13%) and only about 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. Households with children make up 16% of the area, so the school draws from a community where family life is woven into a tight urban grid. Getting around by subway is straightforward, with the 6 train running close to the building along multiple stops in the neighborhood.

Two stops on the 6 — Elder Av and Morrison Av-Soundview — are each about a four-minute walk from the school, with St Lawrence Av on the same line about an eleven-minute walk away.