P.S. 198 Isidor E. Ida Straus

P.S. 198's 2025 proficiency rates of 81.7% in ELA and 81.5% in math meaningfully outpace District 2 averages of roughly 73% in each subject, and the overall score of 3.26/4 sits above the district's 2.91 average. The trajectory is the real story: scores dipped in 2022 (ELA 59.7%, math 54.4%) before climbing steadily, with the 2025 jump to the low 80s representing the school's strongest showing in the data set. Fourth graders are the engine of the results (88.9% ELA, 88.1% math), with third and fifth graders somewhat behind, which is a pattern worth asking about if your child is entering the upper grades.

The climate survey paints one of the more uniformly positive pictures in the district: 100% of teachers describe the school as safe, 100% report collegial trust, and parent satisfaction sits at 96% with parent-principal trust at 97%. There have been zero suspensions in each of the last three reported years, an exceptionally rare posture that suggests strong classroom management and a peaceful building. The wrinkle is the 75.2% chronic absenteeism rate — notably higher than peers — with the subgroup breakdown showing white, Asian, and multiracial students missing substantially more school than Black and Hispanic peers, an inverted pattern from most city schools that is worth asking the principal about directly. Attendance overall (92.2%) is on par with the district average.

The student body of 415 skews white (43%) and Hispanic (28%) with meaningful Asian (15%), Black (7%), and multiracial (6%) representation, producing a diversity index of 79% — meaningfully more mixed than the neighborhood alone would suggest. The economic need index of 39.3 reflects a relatively low-need population, consistent with Carnegie Hill's median household income of nearly $200,000 and 5.2% poverty rate. About one in five students has an IEP (21%), so families seeking integrated special education services will find a more typical mix here than at some wealthier-feeling zone schools.

Carnegie Hill is one of Manhattan's wealthiest residential pockets, anchored by Museum Mile, low-rise brownstones, and a high share of owner-occupied households (59.3%) with a median home value approaching $2 million. Eighty-four percent of nearby adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about one in six households has children — meaning the school is genuinely central to family life here, not just an enrollment slot. The neighborhood runs at a quieter pace than Midtown or the Lower East Side, with families gathering on side streets and weekends along Fifth Avenue's museum row.

Transit access is excellent: the 96 St 6 train is about a 2-minute walk, the 96 St Q (Second Avenue subway) is roughly 4 minutes away, and the 103 St 6 is about 9 minutes on foot.