P.S. 3 Raul Julia Micro Society

P.S. 3's ELA proficiency of 42.3% lands just below the district average of 45%, while math at 42.8% is essentially on par with the district's 43.5%. The bigger story is in the trajectory: ELA has climbed from 31.8% in 2016 to 42.3% in 2025, and math has nearly doubled from 28.4% to 42.8%. Results are strikingly inconsistent by grade — Grade 4 is struggling (15.4% ELA, 19.2% math) while Grade 7 and Grade 8 students post some of the strongest numbers in the building (58–67%). That grade-4 dip is worth asking about. Science proficiency at 55.2% is a relative bright spot. Overall the school sits at 1.7 out of 4, just a hair below the district average of 1.77.

The day-to-day vibe at P.S. 3 reads like a school where families feel deeply heard but adults inside the building are more measured. Parent satisfaction is 99%, with 100% of families reporting strong relationships and trust in teachers and the principal — extraordinary numbers. Teachers are warmer on safety (94%, above the district's 87%) but cooler on instructional quality (82%, well below the district's 91%) and slightly less sold on principal-teacher trust (80%). Attendance at 89.5% is below the district's 90.8%, and chronic absenteeism at nearly 59% is a real headwind — getting kids to school consistently is the biggest open issue here. Discipline is essentially a non-issue: just one suspension in three years.

The student body is 70% Hispanic and 29% Black, with an economic need index of 86.1 — meaning the overwhelming majority come from low-income households. About 27% of students have IEPs, which is meaningfully higher than typical. The school reflects the surrounding Tremont community almost directly: a working-class, predominantly Latino neighborhood where most families rent and median household income sits around $32,000. ELL supports are offered, matching the linguistic profile of the community.

Tremont is a working-class residential pocket of the central Bronx. About 36% of residents live below the poverty line, median household income hovers around $32,000, and only 7.5% of households own their homes — most families rent. Just 13% of households have children, which means families with school-age kids are a relatively small slice of the neighborhood. About 15% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher. The neighborhood skews Latino and Black, which the school's enrollment mirrors.

This is not a quick subway-commute school. The nearest station is 182-183 Sts on the B and D lines, about a 13-minute walk; Fordham Rd on the B and D is roughly 17 minutes on foot, and 174 St on the 2 and 5 lines is about a 19-minute walk. Most families likely arrive by car, bus, or on foot from nearby blocks.