P.S. 36

Standardized state test scores aren't reported here in a directly comparable form — a reasonable absence given that District 75 students' academic goals are typically written into their IEPs rather than measured against grade-level proficiency cutoffs. The closest proxy in the data is teacher-reported instruction quality at 89%, slightly above the local district average of about 88%. Average class size of 21.8 matches the district norm, which for a District 75 setting is reasonable without being unusually small. The picture overall is steady rather than standout: families aren't flagging academic concerns in the surveys, but neither are teachers reporting exceptional instructional confidence.

The day-to-day feel here splits sharply between the parent view and the teacher view. Families give 98% trust in teachers and 96% trust in the principal — essentially as high as these survey scales allow. Teachers tell a different story: 77% trust in the principal (a 19-point gap with what parents report), 75% collegial trust among staff, and a teacher-reported safety figure of 85% that sits meaningfully below the district average of 92%. On the positive side, there were zero suspensions in the most recent year, which is notable for a building serving students with significant needs. The likely day-to-day experience is a school that feels deeply trusted by the families walking in, while the staff room carries more tension about leadership and conditions.

Every student here has an IEP — this is a District 75 program, not a general education school with inclusion support. The student body is 64% Black, 25% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 4% White, and 1% Native American, a mix that lines up with the working-class character of the surrounding East New York-New Lots neighborhood. The economic need index of 91.2 places the school in the highest-need band in the city, signaling that families here are largely low-income and likely navigating multiple stressors. With 50 teachers and 58 family survey responses (a 13% family response rate), the parent voice in the data is real but drawn from a relatively small slice of the school community.

East New York-New Lots is a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood with a median household income around $58,000, a poverty rate of about 23%, and only about 11% of households including children — a sign that many nearby residences are adult-only or multigenerational. Roughly 16% of adults here hold a bachelor's degree, homeownership sits below 30% (most residents rent), and the typical home value is just over $600,000. The school sits inside this community and serves it closely, with a population that reflects the area's working-class, majority Black and Hispanic character.

Three stops on the 3 train ring the school: Van Siclen Av is about an 8-minute walk, New Lots Av about 9 minutes, and Pennsylvania Av about 10 minutes. Because all three are on the same line, families coming from further out on the 3 can reach the school directly without a transfer.