P.S. 340

ELA proficiency at 43.9% is essentially at the district average (45%), and math at 41.2% sits just below (district 43.5%) — close enough to call it on par. The more interesting story is the trajectory: ELA climbed from 24.1% in 2016 to 43.9% in 2025, and math from 21.6% to 41.2% over the same period, with the steepest gains coming in the last three years. The school is closing the gap, not leading it, but the direction of travel is clearly upward.

The chronic absenteeism rate of 64.4% is a real concern — more than half of students are missing too many school days, well above what most parents would feel comfortable with — and that bears watching. Everything else in the climate data points the other way: parent satisfaction at 94%, parent-teacher trust at 98%, teacher-reported safety at 94%, and an extraordinary 100% of teachers saying they trust their principal. Zero suspensions for three consecutive years suggests a school that handles behavior through relationships rather than removal. The day-to-day feel here, by every survey measure, is warm, orderly, and tight-knit.

The student body is 87% Hispanic and 9% Black, with very small Asian, White, and multiracial populations — a diversity index of just 29% reflects how concentrated the demographics are. An economic need index of 92.4 means almost all students qualify as high-need, and 27% have IEPs, which is a meaningfully higher share than the citywide average. The school mirrors its Bedford Park surroundings: a predominantly Hispanic, working-class community where most families rent and incomes are modest. This is a neighborhood school, in the truest sense — most students likely walk to class from a few blocks away.

Bedford Park is a working-class Bronx neighborhood where the median household income hovers around $44,000 and more than a quarter of residents live below the poverty line; only 7% of households own their homes, so this is overwhelmingly a renter community. About 14% of households have children at home, and 17.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher — a neighborhood where many families are stretched thin but rooted. Getting around is easy by transit, with the 4 train and the B/D all within a short walk of the school.

The 4 train at Kingsbridge Rd is about a 3-minute walk, the B/D at Kingsbridge Rd is roughly 6 minutes, and the 4 at Fordham Rd is about 11 minutes — this is one of the more transit-accessible elementary locations in the borough.