P.S. 264 Bay Ridge Elementary School For The Arts

P.S. 264's 2025 proficiency rates of 75.5% in ELA and 75.1% in math are well above the district averages of 66.2% and 71.2% respectively, and they mark a sharp jump from 2024 (62.5% ELA, 66.7% math). The longer arc tells a steadier story of gradual gains since 2018, with a particularly strong acceleration in math over the past three years. Grade 3 leads the way with 80.6% ELA and 83.1% math proficiency, while grades 4 and 5 hover in the low-to-mid 70s on both subjects. The school's overall Quality Review score of 3.01 out of 4 edges out the district average of 2.75, suggesting the gains are showing up in the classroom, not just on paper.

The day-to-day feel at P.S. 264 is largely positive: 98% of teachers report feeling safe (above the district's 96.5%), and 97% rate instruction quality favorably, well above the district's 92.2%. Parents are highly engaged — 93% are satisfied, family survey trust scores run in the low-to-mid 90s, and the PTA raised over $78,000 last year. The one notable friction point is teacher-principal trust at 75%, the lowest survey metric, which is worth watching even as teacher collegial trust remains strong at 86%. With zero suspensions for three consecutive years, the disciplinary climate is exceptionally calm. The one genuine concern is a chronic absenteeism rate of 79.5% — meaning roughly four out of five students miss 10% or more of school days — well above what you'd want to see, and the school's overall attendance rate of 93.6% sits just below the district's 94.2%.

The student body is majority White (51%) with a large Hispanic contingent (32%), notable Asian representation (12%), and small Black and multiracial populations — a diversity index of 64%, suggesting a meaningfully mixed community rather than a homogeneous one. The neighborhood context helps explain this: Bay Ridge's median household income of about $88,900 and 50.5% college-educated rate point to a stable, middle-class family base, and the school's 61.3 economic need index reflects that mix. The PTA fundraising per student — $213 versus the district average of $61 — tells you that families here have both the means and the inclination to invest in the school.

Bay Ridge is a family-oriented Brooklyn neighborhood where about 19% of households have kids, the median home value approaches $913,000, and more than a third of homes are owner-occupied — relatively high by New York standards. Median household income sits at roughly $88,900 and the poverty rate is a modest 11.5%, while half of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. It's the kind of place where families plant roots and stay, and that stability shows up in how the school feels from the inside.

Families can reach the school on foot from three R-train stops: 86 St (about 3 minutes), Bay Ridge-95 St (about 7 minutes), and 77 St (about 13 minutes). The 95 St station makes for an easy commute from anywhere along the R line, and most families in the zone will likely walk.