At a Glance
A screened Upper West Side K-8 with deep arts and high parent trust — but middle-school math is a real concern.
Best suited for
Families who want a screened, arts-rich K-8 on the Upper West Side with a calm discipline culture — particularly those focused on the elementary years, since middle-school results show real weakness.
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
- A genuinely deep arts catalog — dance, drama, music, theater, visual arts, plus electives like cooking and glee club
- One of the richest extracurricular menus in the district (90/100), including Living Environment, Algebra I, and National Junior Honor Society for upper graders
- A calm, low-suspension environment despite serving over 500 students across 10 grades
- Strong parent trust in both teachers and the principal — 91-92% — a meaningful signal from over 200 survey responses
- Screened admissions paired with an Accelerated/Honors academic track
Things to consider
- Middle-school math scores are a serious concern — eighth graders at just 7.7% proficiency, sixth graders at 31.8%
- A clear downward trend in both ELA and math since 2018-19, with no recent rebound
- Chronic absenteeism near 60%, well above what's typical citywide and a likely drag on classroom outcomes
- Teacher-principal trust at only 63%, in clear contrast to the 91% parents report — a leadership divide worth probing
- Teacher-rated instructional quality (75%) trails the district average of 87% by a wide margin
- PTA per-pupil funding ($424) is well below the district average ($627), even though total fundraising is solid
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 3
Within District 3 — home to some of the city's most elite screened schools — P.S. 333 lands below the district average on its overall score (2.12 vs. 2.27) and well below the top peer schools on academic outcomes. It's a legitimate screened K-8 for Upper West Side families, but it sits in the middle of the district's pack rather than alongside Anderson, Special Music, or P.S. 166.
Academics
ELA proficiency at 60.6% sits just above the district average of 59.3%, but the trajectory tells a more honest story — proficiency has dropped from 74.1% in 2018 to 60.6% in 2025. Math is the bigger concern: 45.5% proficiency is well below the district average of 54.0%, and has fallen from 68.5% at its 2019 peak. The grade-level breakdown shows where the slippage concentrates — third graders post strong scores (80% ELA, 75% math), but sixth, seventh, and eighth grade math drops sharply, with eighth-grade math at just 7.7%. Families thinking K-5 should weigh this differently than families thinking middle school.
Culture
Day-to-day, the school feels calm — only two suspensions last year and teachers report 94% safety, in line with the district. Parents express strong trust in teachers (92%) and the principal (91%), with 85% overall satisfaction. The other side of that coin is that teachers rate instructional quality at just 75% (well below the district's 87%) and only 63% say they trust the principal — a notable gap between how parents and teachers see leadership. Attendance is also a real concern: 88.4% trails the district average of 90.4%, and nearly 6 in 10 students are chronically absent.
Community
P.S. 333 is a screened school drawing families from across the city, with 502 students across K-8. The student body is roughly half White (48%), 22% Hispanic, 14% Black, 7% Asian, and 7% multiracial — meaningfully more diverse than the surrounding Upper West Side block, which is largely affluent and college-educated. About 28% of students have IEPs, ELL services are offered, and the economic need index of 34.5% is moderate, well below the citywide norm and reflecting the cost of private testing the school's screened admission requires.
Neighborhood
The school sits in the central Upper West Side, one of Manhattan's most education-heavy and family-oriented neighborhoods. Median household income tops $150,000, over 80% of adults have a bachelor's degree, and home values north of $1.5 million put a roof over most local families' heads — households with kids are a smaller share of the area (17%), but the ones who live here tend to be deeply invested in their children's schooling.
The 96 St station on the 1/2/3 lines is about a 4-minute walk; the 86 St 1 train stop is roughly 7 minutes away, and the 86 St C/B stop is about 8 minutes on foot.
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) · 203 families responded (49% rate)
Programs & Activities
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
Kindergarten
P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children doesn't have an attendance zone of its own, so living nearby doesn't guarantee a seat here. Families apply on MySchools, and seats go to the school's priority groups first, then by random lottery.
Kindergarten application
- Opens
- Wed, Dec 9
- Closes
- Fri, Jan 22
- Offers
- Tue, Mar 30
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the kindergarten application.
- 2Rank this school with your zoned school, if you have one, and any others you'd take — in true preference order.
Middle school (6th grade)
Middle school is one citywide application, made in 5th grade. P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- The Manhattan School For ChildrenScreened52 seats
Middle school application
- Opened
- Wed, Oct 14
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 11
- Offers
- Wed, Apr 7
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the middle school application, in 5th grade.
- 2Screened programs rank 4th-grade course grades, so last year's report card is the one that counts.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
Tour
Thu, Nov 5, · 8:45 AM · In person
Tour
Mon, Nov 16, · 8:45 AM · In person
Open house
Thu, Nov 19, · 7:00 PM · Virtual
Tour
Mon, Dec 7, · 8:45 AM · In person
Open house
Mon, Dec 7, · 7:00 PM · Virtual
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children earns an overall rating of 53/100 — 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 in line with the District 3 average.
- What grades does P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children serve?
- P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children serves grades K to 8.
- How do students get into P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children?
- P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children is a screened school — it admits by application, ranking applicants on their course grades (4th grade for middle school, the 7th-grade core-course average for high school); a few schools add an assessment, writing sample, or interview.
- Is P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children is a public school in NYC Community School District 3.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children in?
- P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children is in Upper West Side (Central), Manhattan.