At a Glance
A Staten Island elementary posting its strongest test scores in nearly a decade, set against a backdrop of unusually high chronic absenteeism.
Best suited for
Families in Staten Island's North Shore working-class communities who want a school where their kids will be known, trusted relationships are the norm, and academics are trending the right direction — and who are prepared to prioritize daily attendance as part of the deal.
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
- 2025 ELA proficiency of 67.1% is the highest score in eight years of data, with math rebounding to 64.8% after a sharp 2022 dip.
- Zero suspensions across three consecutive reporting years — a notably calm disciplinary environment.
- Parent-teacher trust at 98% and parent-principal trust at 97%, with 100% of teachers reporting strong collegial relationships.
- Above-district academic performance despite an economic need index of 66.2, suggesting real value-add for a working-class community.
- 33% of students have IEPs, well above city norms, making this a school with substantial special-education infrastructure.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 73.9% is the single most important number here — most students miss enough school to be flagged, which can erode even strong classroom gains.
- PTA fundraising of $86/student is well below the district average of $141, so enrichment opportunities funded by parents are more limited.
- Survey response rates are uneven: only 21 teachers responded (a small sample) versus 158 families, so teacher-side survey numbers should be read with that caveat.
- Class size of 23.4 is right at the district average — there's no small-class advantage here.
- The neighborhood's economic profile (median household income ~$52,600, 26% poverty rate) means many families are juggling work and housing pressures that affect school attendance.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 31
In District 31 — Staten Island's K-5 landscape — PS 65 sits in the upper half of its peer group, outperforming the district average on ELA, math, attendance, and overall score. Several peers (P.S. 35, Naples Street, P.S. 5) post higher overall scores, but PS 65's improving academic trajectory and zero-suspension record make it a credible mid-to-upper tier choice.
Academics
PS 65 is comfortably above district averages in both subjects — ELA proficiency of 67.1% beats the district's 61.3%, and math at 64.8% edges past 61.0%. After a dip in 2023 (when ELA fell to 50.6% and math to 55.7%), the school has staged a sharp two-year recovery, with 2025 ELA representing the highest score in the eight-year window shown. Math has been more volatile — a strong 73.2% in 2018 collapsed to 46.4% in 2022 before climbing back — but the recent trajectory is clearly upward. Grade 3 math (76.8%) is a particular strength.
Culture
The day-to-day feel here is warm and trusting — 100% of teachers report strong relationships with colleagues and rate instruction quality highly, while parent-principal trust hits 97%. Discipline is not an issue: zero suspensions in each of the past three reported years. The big asterisk is attendance — overall attendance of 92.7% looks fine on paper, but chronic absenteeism of 73.9% (with multiracial students at 89.5% and Black students at 81.1%) means the school is working hard to get kids through the door consistently. That's a community challenge as much as a school one.
Community
About 386 students attend PS 65, in classes averaging 23 kids. The student body is majority Hispanic (52%), with substantial Black (21%) and White (21%) populations, and a diversity index of 68%. A third of students have IEPs — well above what you'd typically see — and the economic need index of 66 signals significant poverty. The neighborhood around the school is a working-class, multilingual North Shore community where the median household income is around $52,600 and just over a quarter of adults have a bachelor's degree.
Neighborhood
The Tompkinsville-Stapleton-Clifton-Fox Hills neighborhood is one of Staten Island's more economically diverse North Shore communities, with homeownership well below the borough average and a sizable renter population. Families here navigate by the Staten Island Railway and bus, and the school sits within easy reach of three SIR stops. The area's mix of modest incomes, lower educational attainment, and a younger-than-average family population shapes the realities families bring with them to the schoolhouse door.
Tompkinsville SIR is about a 6-minute walk, Stapleton SIR about 9 minutes, and St George SIR roughly 15 minutes — the school is genuinely transit-accessible for families commuting via the Staten Island Railway.
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) · 158 families responded (47% 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. 65 The Academy of Innovative Learning 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. 65 The Academy of Innovative Learning 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.
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. 65 The Academy of Innovative Learning a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 65 The Academy of Innovative Learning earns an overall rating of 66/100 — 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 31 average.
- What grades does P.S. 65 The Academy of Innovative Learning serve?
- P.S. 65 The Academy of Innovative Learning serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- Is P.S. 65 The Academy of Innovative Learning public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 65 The Academy of Innovative Learning is a public school in NYC Community School District 31.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 65 The Academy of Innovative Learning in?
- P.S. 65 The Academy of Innovative Learning is in Tompkinsville-Stapleton-Clifton-Fox Hills, Staten Island.