P.S. 198 Brooklyn

P.S. 198 just had its strongest year on record. ELA proficiency jumped to 62.9% — above the district average of about 61% — and math reached 59.6%, essentially even with the district. The trajectory is the real story: in 2019, fewer than 3 in 10 students were proficient in either subject; in 2025, more than 6 in 10 are. Grade 4 led the way (67.9% ELA, 63.3% math), while Grade 5 math lagged at 50% — the one blemish inside an otherwise strong year. Whether this jump becomes a new floor or a one-time surge is the question worth asking on a school tour.

Inside the building, adults are clearly aligned. Teachers give the school perfect marks on instruction quality, principal trust, and safety, and 96% of parents say they trust both their child's teacher and the principal. Discipline is gentle — just one suspension last year, against a district rate of nearly 0.5%. The shadow over this otherwise sunny picture is chronic absenteeism: nearly 60% of students missed enough school to be flagged, and overall attendance sits below the district average. That's the one number worth pressing the school about directly.

P.S. 198 is a Black-majority school in a Black-majority neighborhood — 82% of students are Black, mirroring the East Flatbush-Farragut community around it, with about 12% Hispanic, 3% Asian, and small groups of other students. The school's economic need index of 73% reflects a community where many families are working hard to make ends meet, and 23% of students have IEPs. Average class size of 24 is essentially the district norm — not a small-class draw, but not overstuffed either.

East Flatbush-Farragut is a working- and middle-class Brooklyn neighborhood where homeownership runs near 48% — unusually high for New York City — and the median home value sits around $669,000. Median household income is about $75,600, with roughly 12% of residents below the poverty line and about 28% of adults holding a bachelor's degree. Families with children make up around 15% of households, and the block-level feel is residential and Caribbean-rooted.

The 2/5 trains serve this area, but the nearest stations — Newkirk Av–Little Haiti, Flatbush Av–Brooklyn College, and Beverly Rd — are each a 13- to 17-minute walk from the school, so most families will arrive by car or bus rather than on foot.