P.S. 219 Kennedy-King

On the most recent state tests, 42.2% of students met proficiency in ELA and 50% in math — both still below the District 18 averages of roughly 58% and 61%, but a striking jump from the prior year, when ELA was at 23.9% and math at 33%. Looking back over nearly a decade, scores at this school have been bumpy: gains in 2019, a drop during the pandemic-era 2022 testing, then a recovery year in 2023, another dip in 2024, and now the sharpest climb in the data set. Grade 3 students performed at or near district averages (58.3% ELA, 62.2% math), while grades 4 and 5 dragged the schoolwide numbers down — worth asking whether the recent surge reflects a newly arrived cohort or a real instructional shift. The overall DOE quality review rating sits at 1.84 out of 4, below the district average of about 2.39.

The school's survey numbers are unusually strong relative to its academics. Parents report 95% trust in the principal and 93% trust in teachers, and 90% say they're satisfied overall — close to the district average of roughly 93%. Teachers rate instructional quality at 95% (well above the district's 89.8%) and their own sense of safety at 95%, with 85% trusting the principal and 81% trusting each other. Zero suspensions were recorded last year, against a district average suspension rate of about 1%, which is worth noting. The day-to-day picture from all this is a school where adults feel aligned and families who engage feel heard. Two caveats: only 18 teachers responded to the survey, and the family response rate was 15% — the positive numbers reflect engaged families and faculty, not necessarily everyone. Attendance is 88.5%, a touch below the 90.5% district average, and chronic absenteeism is high at 52.6%, hitting Black students harder (56.4%) than Hispanic students (42.9%). That's the main climate flag for a parent weighing this school.

The student body is 79% Black, 16% Hispanic, and 4% white, with an economic need index of 79.1% — meaning a high share of students come from low-income households. Twenty-five percent of students have IEPs, well above the citywide norm. The school community closely mirrors the surrounding East Flatbush-Remsen Village census tract, which is also predominantly Black and working-class. The PTA raised about $15,500 last year, or roughly $50 per student — more than double the district average of $23 per student, suggesting an unusually active parent fundraising base despite the modest enrollment.

East Flatbush-Remsen Village is a predominantly Caribbean and Black immigrant-rooted residential pocket of central Brooklyn. Median household income is about $57,600 — well below the citywide median — and roughly 19% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 22% of adults have a bachelor's degree, most households rent (homeownership sits at 23.5%), and the median home value is around $691,850. About 9% of households have children, so families with school-age kids are a meaningful but not dominant share of the area.

The 3 train is the main commuter option, with Sutter Av-Rutland Rd about a nine-minute walk and Saratoga Av about eight minutes; Rockaway Av is the third stop at roughly 16 minutes on foot. Most families likely arrive by school bus, car, or on foot given the surrounding block density.