At a Glance
A zoned Canarsie elementary that has pulled off one of Brooklyn's steepest academic turnarounds
Best suited for
Families zoned for the school who want a traditional neighborhood elementary with strong academics, an engaged parent body, and a calm school culture — and who can manage the commute without easy subway access.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of NY State ELA + math proficiency, grades 3–8
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- Math proficiency of 82.8% is over 20 points above the district average — a genuine standout in a district where most schools land closer to 60%
- Parent-teacher and parent-principal trust both above 97%, signaling an unusually cohesive school community
- Teacher-reported safety at 100%, with only one suspension all year, suggests a calm and orderly environment
- A decade-long academic climb from ~25% to ~80% in math is one of the more dramatic turnarounds in the borough
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 65.5% is high — more than half of students are missing enough school to be flagged, which can affect both learning and school ratings over time
- The 2024 ELA dip to 31.8% before rebounding to 72.4% is a sharp swing worth asking the school to explain
- The nearest subway is a 19-minute walk, so this school really only works for families who live in the zone or have a car/bus route
- The student body is demographically concentrated — families looking for a more mixed environment should weigh that
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 18
In a district where the average school scores 2.4 out of 4, P.S. 276's 3.1 puts it solidly above peers — comparable to or above several of the local charter schools listed, including East Flatbush Ascend and Canarsie Ascend, despite being a zoned public school.
Academics
The 2025 numbers are strong: 72.4% ELA proficiency (vs. the district's 58.4%) and 82.8% math proficiency (vs. the district's 61.4%). The trajectory tells an even more striking story — math proficiency rose from 21.4% in 2016 to 82.8% in 2025, and ELA climbed from 30% to 72.4% over the same period. The 2024 ELA dip to 31.8% followed by a sharp rebound in 2025 is unusual and worth asking the school about, but the overall arc is one of sustained, substantial improvement.
Culture
The survey numbers here are exceptional: parent satisfaction at 95%, parent-teacher trust at 98%, parent-principal trust at 97%, and a perfect 100% on teacher-reported safety — every one of those figures above district averages. The school suspended only one student all of last year, suggesting a relatively calm environment. The one thing parents should know is that chronic absenteeism is high at 65.5% — more than half the student body misses enough school to flag — which is a real concern even with so much else going right.
Community
The student body is 81% Black, with smaller shares of Asian (4%), White (10%), Hispanic (3%), and Native American (2%) students — a diversity index of 39% reflects a more concentrated demographic than the citywide average. About two-thirds of students qualify for economic need, and 15% have IEPs. The neighborhood around the school is solidly middle-income Canarsie, with a median household income around $82k and roughly half of households owning their homes.
Neighborhood
Canarsie is a working- and middle-class Brooklyn neighborhood where most adults didn't finish college (about 29% have a bachelor's or higher) but homeownership is the norm for about half of households. About 15% of households have children at home, and the poverty rate sits near 13%. It's a family-rooted area with a strong residential feel rather than a commuter zone.
The school is about a 19-minute walk from the Canarsie-Rockaway Pkwy stop on the L line — the only nearby subway, so most families will drive, take the bus, or walk from within the zone.
Academic Performance
ELA Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State ELA exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Math Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Math exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Historical Trends
The dashed line marks 2023, when New York changed its grades 3–8 state tests. Scores before and after it aren’t directly comparable.
2020–2021 data unavailable due to COVID-19
Source: NYC DOE School Quality Reports
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 226 families responded (43% rate)
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
PTA Fundraising
Source: DOE Local Law 171 disclosure
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Pre-K
P.S. 276 Louis Marshall also has Pre-K classes. They're a separate application from kindergarten, made on MySchools.
Pre-K application
Applications typically open in the winter and close in the spring, with offers in late spring; the city announces exact dates each year.
Kindergarten
P.S. 276 Louis Marshall has an attendance zone. At elementary level, in-zone students get a guaranteed seat. Every family still applies on MySchools: the application confirms the zoned seat, and ranking other schools doesn't cost you it.
Kindergarten application
- Opens
- Wed, Dec 9
- Closes
- Fri, Jan 22
- Offers
- Tue, Mar 30
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Check that your address is inside the zone — zones change, so confirm it before you sign a lease.
- 2Apply during the kindergarten application, even with a zoned seat.
- 3Rank this school along with any others you'd take, in true preference order.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is P.S. 276 Louis Marshall a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 276 Louis Marshall earns an overall rating of 78/100 — the average of the school's New York State ELA and math proficiency, grades 3–8, shown out of 100. Its state test results run above the District 18 average.
- What grades does P.S. 276 Louis Marshall serve?
- P.S. 276 Louis Marshall serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 276 Louis Marshall?
- P.S. 276 Louis Marshall admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 276 Louis Marshall public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 276 Louis Marshall is a public school in NYC Community School District 18.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 276 Louis Marshall in?
- P.S. 276 Louis Marshall is in Canarsie, Brooklyn.