P.S. 247 Brooklyn

P.S. 247 comfortably outperforms its district. ELA proficiency at 74.5% runs about 8 points above the District 20 average of 66.2%, and math at 79.9% is roughly 9 points above the district's 71.2%. The overall score of 3.09 out of 4 also sits well above the district average of 2.75. What stands out most is the trajectory: ELA proficiency has climbed about 22 percentage points since 2016, and math has gained roughly 14 points — a meaningful, sustained climb rather than a one-year spike. Scores are also balanced across grade levels, with Grade 3 ELA at 73%, Grade 4 at 75.7%, and Grade 5 at 75%, suggesting the school isn't getting by on one strong cohort.

The day-to-day feel here reads as unusually orderly and trusting. Teacher-reported safety is 100% — well above the district average of 96.5% — and teacher-principal trust is also at 100%. Parents report 96% satisfaction, 98% trust in their child's teacher, and 99% trust in the principal, all at or above district norms. The discipline picture is the most striking signal: zero suspensions in 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24. That's not typical. Attendance is solid at 94.6%, roughly matching the district average, though the reported chronic absenteeism figure of 82.8% appears unusually high relative to that attendance rate and may reflect how the metric is being reported rather than what families experience.

The student body reflects Bensonhurst's evolving character: 57% Asian, 27% White, 14% Hispanic, and 1% Black, with no students reported as Multi-Racial or Native American. That's a fairly concentrated demographic profile that mirrors the neighborhood's large Chinese-American and Italian-American populations. About one in five students (20%) has an IEP, and the economic need index of 69.7 sits on the higher side, meaning a meaningful share of students come from low-income households even as the surrounding neighborhood's median income is moderate. Total enrollment is 758 students across K-5 plus self-contained special education classes.

Bensonhurst is one of Brooklyn's largest and most family-rooted neighborhoods, and the census figures show a community that is working- and middle-class with deep residential stability. Median household income is $65,272, the poverty rate is 17.4%, and 20.7% of households include children — a real share of family households. About 31.3% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher. Homeownership sits at 32.4%, and median home values exceed $1 million, a combination that points to long-term owners and multi-generational households rather than a transient rental population.

The N line runs through the neighborhood and gives families three reasonable options: Bay Pkwy is about a 6-minute walk, 20 Av about 8 minutes, and 18 Av about 13 minutes away.