At a Glance
A small Canarsie zoned school where math scores have nearly doubled over the past decade, with deeply connected families and a calm campus.
Best suited for
Families zoned for P.S. 279 who want a small, calm, parent-friendly elementary where their kids will be known by name — and especially families who'd value the math trajectory and zero-suspension environment over a higher-profile charter option.
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 has roughly doubled since 2016 and now sits above the district average
- Zero suspensions for three consecutive years — an unusually calm disciplinary climate
- Exceptionally high parent-trust scores (95-96%) and a perfect 100% on strong student-staff relationships
- Pre-K through 5th grade on a single small campus, with special education (SE) seating included
- Older students (4th and 5th grade) score well above the district average on both ELA and math
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism is high at 62.3%, which can affect classroom continuity even at a small school
- ELA is volatile year-to-year and currently sits just below the district average — not a weakness, but not a strength either
- Teacher survey signals are mixed: only 53% rate instruction quality positively and 49% trust the principal, though the small response count (12 teachers) tempers how much weight to put on this
- PTA fundraising is very low (~$5/student), which can mean fewer enrichment programs and field trips
- The L train is the only nearby subway option, and both stations are an 11-12 minute walk
Based on 2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 18
P.S. 279's overall score of 2.41/4 is essentially average for District 18 (2.39), but it lands below its top peers on the district's quality measure — Ascend Charter School at 81/100 and P.S. 244 at 79/100. Within the zoned-school landscape, however, it stands out for its math gains and its clean disciplinary record.
Academics
Math is the headline here. Proficiency has climbed from 32.5% in 2016 to 65.5% in 2025 — a near-doubling — and now sits comfortably above the district average of 61.4%. ELA has been bumpier (38.7% in 2024, then 55.2% in 2025) but is roughly tracking the district average of 58.4%. Scores by grade show a clear pattern: third-graders are weaker (38.7% ELA, 58.1% math) while fifth-graders are well above average (69.4% ELA, 72.2% math), suggesting kids build strong skills as they move through the school.
Culture
Families clearly love this school — parent satisfaction is 92% (matching the district), and trust between parents, teachers, and the principal runs 95-96%. Teachers report feeling safe (95%) and collegial with one another (86%). The daylight comes on the teacher side: only 53% rate instruction quality positively and just 49% trust the principal, well below the district's 89.8% on instruction. Worth flagging: only 12 teachers responded to the survey, so those numbers reflect a small slice of the staff. Discipline is essentially a non-issue — zero suspensions every year since at least 2021-22, far better than the district's roughly 1% rate.
Community
The student body is 84% Black and 11% Hispanic, mirroring the broader Canarsie neighborhood. Economic need is moderate-to-high at 62.7% of students. With only 280 kids total, classrooms feel intimate — average class size of about 22 — and the small enrollment means a parent is unlikely to get lost in the shuffle.
Neighborhood
Canarsie is a family-rooted, middle-income Brooklyn neighborhood where half of residents own their homes (median value around $688K) and roughly 15% of households have kids under 18. Median household income is about $82K and about 29% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher. The school sits in a residential, low-rise part of the neighborhood, and the low PTA fundraising (about $5 per student versus a district average of $23) hints that parents here are more working- and middle-class than wealthy.
Two L train stops are within walking distance: East 105 St and Canarsie-Rockaway Pkwy, both about an 11-12 minute walk. There are no nearby express lines, so commutes into Manhattan will involve a transfer.
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) · 63 families responded (24% 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. 279 Herman Schreiber 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. 279 Herman Schreiber 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. 279 Herman Schreiber a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 279 Herman Schreiber earns an overall rating of 60/100 — 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 in line with the District 18 average.
- What grades does P.S. 279 Herman Schreiber serve?
- P.S. 279 Herman Schreiber serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 279 Herman Schreiber?
- P.S. 279 Herman Schreiber admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 279 Herman Schreiber public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 279 Herman Schreiber is a public school in NYC Community School District 18.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 279 Herman Schreiber in?
- P.S. 279 Herman Schreiber is in Canarsie, Brooklyn.