P.S. 315 Lab School

ELA proficiency at 51.4% sits comfortably above the District 10 average of 45%, and the long-term trend is upward — from 44.2% in 2016 to 51.4% in 2025, with a dip in 2017. Math tells a different story: 35.5% is well below the district average of 43.5%, and the improvement is bumpier, jumping to 40.9% in 2023 before slipping back. The grade-level breakdown shows the real split — 3rd, 7th, and 8th graders post solid scores (60–66.7% in math at the upper grades), while 4th and 5th grade math collapses to single digits and low double digits. That mid-school slump is the most important academic signal in this data set.

This is a remarkably trusting school. Teacher-reported safety is 97% (well above the district average of 87%), teacher collegial trust is 100%, and 100% of teachers rate instruction quality positively. Parents report 96% trust in teachers and 97% trust in the principal — among the strongest numbers you'll see in District 10. The school reported zero suspensions in 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24. The catch is attendance: chronic absenteeism sits at 65.4%, meaning nearly two-thirds of students miss enough school to be flagged — a figure that would undermine academic growth almost anywhere. The day-to-day feel is calm and orderly, with adults who clearly respect each other, but the school is fighting an uphill battle getting kids through the door consistently.

P.S. 315's student body is 81% Hispanic and 12% Black, with a 39% diversity index and an economic need index of 89.8 — meaning nearly nine in ten students qualify as high-need. The school is a screened admission program, so families have opted into it, which often correlates with engaged households. About 18% of students have IEPs, and the school provides ELL support. The surrounding census tract has a 13.5% share of households with children and a 21.2% poverty rate, so the school serves a population where school routines aren't always easy to maintain.

Kingsbridge Heights-Van Cortlandt Village is a working- and middle-class stretch of the western Bronx with a median household income of $55,462 and a 25.1% rate of bachelor's-or-higher education. The neighborhood is mostly renters — only 18.1% are homeowners — and one in five households lives below the poverty line. Median home values around $534,000 keep the area relatively stable, and a meaningful share of households include children, which keeps schools like 315 well-populated.

Three subway stations are within a roughly 9–12 minute walk: the 4 train at Kingsbridge Road, the 1 train at 231st Street, and the B and D trains at Kingsbridge Road. That gives families decent flexibility, though none of the stations is right at the school's doorstep.