P.S. 295

ELA proficiency at 63.5% sits just below the district average of 65.5%, while math at 57.6% trails the district's 63.3%. Both subjects have rebounded meaningfully from a 2022 pandemic-era low (51.5% ELA, 42.9% math), with math hovering in the 60s most years and ELA hitting its high in 2025. Performance varies sharply by grade: fourth-graders are strong (70.4% ELA, 75% math), while third- and fifth-graders lag. Math's drop from 67.6% to 57.6% in a single year is worth watching.

This is a school where relationships clearly come first: 98% of parents trust the principal, 96% trust their child's teacher, and 92% report strong relationships. Teacher-reported safety sits at 98%, above the district average, and the school has recorded zero suspensions for three straight years — essentially unheard of and a clear sign of a non-punitive, restorative culture. The flip side is striking: chronic absenteeism at 68.9% means roughly seven in ten students miss enough school to be flagged, and the 91.7% attendance rate trails the district's 93.5%. Day-to-day, the building feels safe and connected, but getting kids in the door is the real challenge.

The student body is unusually balanced for this part of Brooklyn: 43% Hispanic, 37% White, 7% Asian, 6% Black, and 6% multiracial, with a diversity index of 71%. With 30% of students classified as IEP, the school has a notably higher share of students with disabilities than typical, suggesting real inclusion rather than separation. About 46% of students qualify as having economic need, and the neighborhood's $81,377 median household income and 17.3% poverty rate suggest a community straddling working-class roots and gentrification. The 74% family survey response rate shows unusually engaged parents.

Sunset Park West is a transitional Brooklyn neighborhood where long-time Latino and working-class families share blocks with newer, higher-income arrivals. Median household income of $81,377 sits above the city average, yet the 17.3% poverty rate shows the mix isn't settled; 35.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree and homeownership is just 25%, meaning most families rent. Only about a fifth of households include children, so families with school-age kids are a meaningful, intentional slice of the community. The $1,036,151 median home value reflects how pricing has crept up from neighboring Park Slope.

Families can reach school via the R train at Prospect Avenue (about an 8-minute walk) or 25 Street (about a 10-minute walk), or the F and G lines at 15 Street-Prospect Park (about a 10-minute walk).