P.S. 249 The Caton

On the 2025 state tests, 86.7% of students reached ELA proficiency versus a District 17 average of 60.5%, and 90.9% reached math proficiency versus 57.3% — the school's overall score of 3.55/4 sits well above the district's 2.36/4. The trajectory is striking: ELA climbed from 56.5% in 2016 to 86.7% in 2025, with a particularly dramatic jump in the most recent year (from 67.5% to 86.7%). Math has been consistently strong and crossed 85% for the first time in 2024. Across grades 3-5, math proficiency sits at 85-94% and ELA at 85-87%, so the strength isn't concentrated in a single tested grade.

Survey responses are uniformly strong — 100% of teachers report strong student-teacher relationships, 99% rate instruction quality positively, 96% of parents say they're satisfied, and teacher-reported safety is 97%, all of which sit above District 17 averages. There have been zero suspensions in each of the last three reported years, which is unusual and points to either a genuinely low-incident environment or a discipline culture that keeps things in the classroom. The one thing parents should weigh is the chronic absenteeism rate: at 80%, it means four out of five students missed 10% or more of school days, even though the overall attendance rate of 93.8% is solid — there's a real gap between the kids doing well here and a meaningful share who aren't making it to class regularly.

The student body is 40% Black, 46% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 6% White, and 1% multiracial — a diversity index of 64% — and 76.7% of students qualify as economically needy, well above the citywide average. IEP enrollment of 19% suggests meaningful inclusion of students with disabilities. Surrounding census tracts show a median household income around $87K, but the school serves a broader mix of housing than the immediate well-off blocks, which helps explain the gap between a relatively affluent neighborhood profile and a high-need school population. PTA fundraising of just $2 per student versus a district average of $44 is a candid indicator that this parent body can't match the fundraising of wealthier schools, even with 77% of families responding to the survey.

The school sits in the central Flatbush / Ditmas Park / Parkville area of Brooklyn, where roughly 21% of households have children under 18, the adult college attainment rate is 45.5%, and 34% of homes are owner-occupied with a median value just over $1 million. Median household income is around $87K and the poverty rate is about 16%, painting a picture of a mixed middle-class neighborhood with established homeowners alongside renters still stretching. That mix helps explain why a zoned school here serves both relatively affluent families and a high-need student body — the zone spans more economic ground than the immediate tree-lined blocks suggest.

The Church Ave B/Q stop is about a 4-minute walk, with Beverley Rd (Q) about 8 minutes and Parkside Av (Q) about 10 minutes, giving commuters three reasonable subway options.