P.S. 316 Elijah Stroud

With 79.1% ELA proficiency and 75.6% math proficiency, P.S. 316 lands well above the District 17 averages of 60.5% and 57.3%. The trajectory is genuinely impressive: in 2016, fewer than half of students met standards in either subject; today more than three-quarters do, with math rising especially sharply from 42.8% to 75.6%. Grade 5 results are particularly strong — 92.1% proficiency in ELA — suggesting the school's oldest tested students are well prepared for the transition to middle school.

The picture here is mixed in ways parents should weigh. Parent satisfaction is high (92%) and families report strong relationships with teachers (94%), but teacher survey responses — though from a small sample of just 15 — flag real concerns: only 57% rate instruction quality positively (vs. an 89% district average) and just 58% trust school leadership. Chronic absenteeism is the headline number worth knowing at 65.8%, well above typical levels even though the overall attendance rate sits near the district average. On the upside, there have been zero suspensions over three years and 98% of teachers report feeling safe, pointing to a calm and orderly environment day-to-day.

P.S. 316 serves a student body that's predominantly Black (59%) with smaller White (17%), Hispanic (14%), Asian (4%), and multiracial (5%) populations, and an economic need index of 53.2 indicating a meaningful share of students from lower-income households. That picture looks notably different from the surrounding Prospect Heights census tract, where median household income tops $150,000 and just 6.4% of residents live in poverty — the school draws families from a wider economic swath than the immediate neighborhood. Fifteen percent of students have IEPs, roughly in line with citywide norms.

Prospect Heights is one of Brooklyn's most established family neighborhoods, with a highly educated population (78.7% with a bachelor's degree or higher) and a homeownership rate near 37% that suggests a mix of long-term owners and renters. Only about 17% of households include children, so school-age families are a small slice of the broader community. The neighborhood has changed considerably over the past decade, and the school reflects that — drawing students from beyond the immediately surrounding blocks.

Three subway options within a 5- to 7-minute walk make this an easy commute: the S at Park Place, the 2 and 3 at Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum, and the S at Botanic Garden.