P.S. 272 Curtis Estabrook

Proficiency is well below district averages — 39.4% in ELA and 36.8% in math versus roughly 58% and 61% across District 18 — but the trajectory is the story. ELA proficiency rose from 13.5% in 2016 to 39.4% in 2025, and math climbed from 8.8% to 36.8% over the same period. The jump from 2024 to 2025 alone was striking (ELA up nearly 16 points, math up 7). Grade 5 leads the way (47.5% ELA, 46.3% math), while grade 4 lags, particularly in math at 21.2%. The school is catching up fast, even if it hasn't caught up yet.

The day-to-day feel is unusually warm. Parent satisfaction sits at 96%, parent-teacher trust at 98%, and 100% of families report strong relationships with the school — figures that exceed district averages. Teachers report solid collegial trust (87%) and good instruction quality (87%), though teacher-reported safety at 91% trails the district's 96%. Discipline is essentially a non-issue: zero suspensions in 2023-24, and only one in the prior year. The one real headwind is chronic absenteeism at 52.9%, well above the district norm — more than half of students are missing enough school to qualify as chronically absent, and attendance overall is 87.6% versus a 90.5% district average. That's a serious underlying challenge even as the school's climate survey numbers stay strong.

The student body is 73% Black, 14% Hispanic, 5% White, 5% Native American, and 3% Asian — a Black-majority population that mirrors Canarsie's longstanding demographic character. Twenty-five percent of students have IEPs and the economic need index is 86%, reflecting significant family-level economic pressure. Despite that, PTA fundraising comes in at $75 per student, more than triple the district average of about $23 — a signal that the families who are engaged are investing meaningfully. Enrollment is small at 353, which helps keep things tight-knit.

Canarsie is a southeast Brooklyn neighborhood of mostly homeowners (50.5%) and modest middle-income stability, with a median household income around $82,000 and a poverty rate of 12.8%. Just under 15% of households have children, and the median home value is roughly $688,000 — solidly middle-class for outer-borough Brooklyn. The BA-or-higher rate is 28.7%, lower than the citywide average, but the homeownership rate signals a population that puts down roots. This is a family-oriented, car-and-bus territory rather than a transit hub.

There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of the school — families rely on buses, cars, or school transportation to get here. This is not a stop-on-the-LIRR neighborhood either; the commute is a real factor for anyone considering a school outside their immediate zone.