P.S. 268 Emma Lazarus

P.S. 268's 63.2% ELA proficiency and 71.3% math proficiency both sit comfortably above the District 18 averages (58.4% and 61.4%, respectively), and the overall 2.69/4 rating outpaces the district's 2.39/4. The more striking story is the trajectory — ELA proficiency rose from 21.8% in 2017 to 72.3% in 2024, and math went from 15.8% to 87.5% over the same window. The 2025 dip (ELA back to 63.2%, math to 71.3%) suggests some settling after a peak, not a collapse. One nuance for parents: Grade 3 ELA proficiency is 38.7%, noticeably weaker than Grade 4 (74.4%) and Grade 5 (76%) — results improve as students move up the building.

This is a school where families clearly feel heard and teachers feel supported — 98% parent-principal trust and 96% parent-teacher trust are exceptional, and 96% of teachers rate instruction quality positively, well above the district's 89.8%. Zero suspensions in 2023-24 (down from 1 in 2021-22) speaks to a calm, orderly environment. The shadow on this picture is the 52.9% chronic absenteeism rate and an 88.3% attendance rate that runs below the district's 90.5% — roughly half of students miss enough school to be flagged as chronically absent. Day-to-day, the adults seem aligned and the climate feels stable; the question is what happens at home in the morning.

The student body is 90% Black and 8% Hispanic, with very limited racial diversity (a 23% diversity index). This closely mirrors East Flatbush-Rugby's longstanding Black Caribbean population. With 244 students total, classes averaging about 22, and 77.1% of students classified as economically needy, the school population skews working-class and Black-Caribbean in a way that's consistent with the surrounding blocks. IEP students make up 14% of enrollment.

P.S. 268 sits in East Flatbush-Rugby, a working- and middle-class Brooklyn neighborhood where median household income is about $71,298, the poverty rate is 13.4%, and about 12.2% of households have children under 18. Roughly a quarter of adults (25.4%) hold a bachelor's degree, and 38.8% of homes are owner-occupied, with a median home value around $668,743 — fairly typical for outer-brooklyn neighborhoods with strong tenure. The school functions as a true neighborhood school for families in the surrounding blocks.

The closest subway is Sutter Av-Rutland Rd on the 3 line, about a 12-minute walk; Saratoga Av (3) is around 14 minutes, and Crown Hts-Utica Av (3 and 4) is roughly 17 minutes on foot. Many families likely walk or use local buses rather than the train.