At a Glance
A high-achieving Park Slope zoned school where deep family investment fuels consistently top-tier results
Best suited for
Families who live in the zone and want a strong, well-resourced public elementary with high academic expectations and an active parent community — and who are ready to lean in.
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 above 88% across every tested grade 3–5, with the school overall at 90.4%
- Zero suspensions sustained across three consecutive school years — a rare mark of a calm, well-managed environment
- PTA fundraising of $857 per student, nearly double the district average of $491
- Parent-teacher and parent-principal trust both at 98%, and 99% of teachers feel safe
- A large zoned school (1,220 students) that still reads as a tight community, anchored by a 70% family survey response rate
Things to consider
- The student body is 70% White and the economic need index is very low (6.7) — moderate diversity by New York standards and limited demographic exposure for families who value that
- Admission is strictly zoned, so the school is only realistically accessible to families who can afford to live within the catchment area
- The high parent engagement that drives these results also brings real expectations — families should expect an active PTA culture, frequent communication, and time commitments
- Average class size of 25 is in line with the district, so this is not the place to find unusually low student-teacher ratios
- Park Slope housing costs place the surrounding zone out of reach for many city families, which in turn keeps the applicant pool narrow
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 15
P.S. 321 sits at the very top of District 15 alongside the Henry Bristow and Beacon schools, outscoring nearly all of its zoned peers and matching selective options in raw proficiency. It is a flagship for what a high-functioning Brooklyn elementary can look like when neighborhood resources and school leadership align.
Academics
At 88.7% ELA proficiency and 90.4% in math, P.S. 321 sits roughly 23 points above the District 15 averages of 65.5% and 63.3% — a gap most schools only dream about. Scores are remarkably even across tested grades, ranging from the mid-80s to low 90s in both subjects, and the trajectory is clearly upward: math climbed from 82.3% in 2022 to 90.4% in 2025, and ELA recovered from a 78.7% dip in 2022 to its current high. Students here are leading, not catching up.
Culture
The survey numbers here are exceptional: parent satisfaction at 96%, parent-teacher trust at 98%, parent-principal trust at 98%, and 99% of teachers report feeling safe — all well above district averages. Attendance runs at 95.6% (vs. 93.5% district) with low chronic absenteeism, and the school has recorded zero suspensions in each of the past three years. The day-to-day feel is of a tight-knit community where adults trust each other, families feel heard, and behavior issues are handled inside the classroom rather than through formal discipline.
Community
The student body is 70% White, 11% multiracial, 9% Asian, 7% Hispanic, and 3% Black — a diversity index of 58%, which puts P.S. 321 on the less-diverse end for a New York City public school. The economic need index of 6.7 reflects a predominantly affluent population that closely mirrors the surrounding Park Slope profile, where median household income tops $190,000 and more than 82% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. With 1,220 students, this is a large elementary with the critical mass to sustain a real parent community.
Neighborhood
Park Slope is one of Brooklyn's wealthiest and most family-dense neighborhoods — nearly a quarter of households have children, four out of five adults hold a bachelor's degree, and the median home value tops $1.6 million. The blocks around the school are lined with brownstones, well-funded playgrounds, and the family-run businesses that define the area. School commutes tend to be short, since most families live within walking distance, but the school also draws from a wider catchment via the subway lines that pass through the neighborhood.
Three subway options sit within a reasonable walk: the F and G at 7th Avenue (about 8 minutes), the R at Union Street (about 9 minutes), and the B and Q at 7th Avenue (about 10 minutes).
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) · 910 families responded (70% 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. 321 William Penn 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. 321 William Penn 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. 321 William Penn a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 321 William Penn earns an overall rating of 90/100 — 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 above the District 15 average.
- What grades does P.S. 321 William Penn serve?
- P.S. 321 William Penn serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 321 William Penn?
- P.S. 321 William Penn admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 321 William Penn public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 321 William Penn is a public school in NYC Community School District 15.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 321 William Penn in?
- P.S. 321 William Penn is in Park Slope, Brooklyn.