At a Glance
A large Canarsie elementary serving mostly Black families, where test scores have climbed sharply and suspensions have all but disappeared.
Best suited for
Families rooted in Canarsie who want their child to stay in one school from pre-K through 8th grade, value strong parent-teacher relationships, and can support consistent attendance.
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
- Test scores have roughly doubled in ELA and more than doubled in math over the past decade — one of the sharpest improvement curves in the district.
- Zero suspensions in 2023-24, down from 11 two years earlier — a remarkable discipline turnaround.
- Parent satisfaction (94%) and parent-principal trust (98%) are among the strongest in District 18.
- Serves students through 8th grade, so families don't have to transition to a middle school.
- A large campus (613 students) with average class sizes around 22 students.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism is high — two-thirds of students missed enough school to be flagged, which can undermine even strong classroom instruction.
- Teacher-reported safety (84%) is well below the district average of 96%, worth asking the school directly about.
- Teacher-principal trust is 76%, noticeably lower than the near-perfect trust families report — a sign of some internal friction.
- Program offerings are limited (richness score 19/100), so families looking for enrichment programs or robust electives may need to look elsewhere.
- PTA fundraising is essentially nonexistent ($1/student), so the school likely relies on public funding for extras.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 18
District 18's average overall score is 2.4/4, and P.S. 66 lands at 2.3 — squarely in the middle of the pack. Peer schools like P.S. 244 and P.S. 208 score slightly higher on the dashboard, but P.S. 66's academic trajectory over the last three years is arguably stronger than most.
Academics
P.S. 66's test scores have climbed dramatically over the past decade. ELA proficiency jumped from 31% in 2016 to 54% in 2025, and math rose from 27% to 61% — both essentially at or just below district averages (58% ELA, 61% math). The 2025 results represent the school's strongest year on record, with math particularly strong in grades 3, 4, 5, and 7 (all above 62%). Grade 8 ELA leads the building at 68%, though grade 8 math is a relative weak spot at 48%. The trajectory is clearly upward, and the school has closed what was once a wide gap with district peers.
Culture
The day-to-day feel at P.S. 66 is defined by an unusual split: families love the school, but chronic absenteeism is very high and teachers report less safety than the district norm. Parent trust in teachers and the principal is exceptional — 97% and 98% — and every surveyed family reports strong relationships with staff. On the flip side, two-thirds of students are chronically absent (a rate well above typical), and only 84% of teachers describe the school as safe (versus 96% district-wide). The discipline picture is the bright spot: zero suspensions in 2023-24, down from 11 just two years earlier.
Community
P.S. 66's student body is 81% Black, 11% Hispanic, and 4% White, with a relatively low diversity index of 39% — reflecting the demographics of Canarsie more broadly. Sixteen percent of students have IEPs, and the school offers ELL support for English learners. With an economic need index of 65 (on a scale where 100 is highest need), a meaningful share of students come from lower-income households. PTA fundraising is minimal at just $1 per student — well below the $23 district average — suggesting that engagement runs through volunteer time and trust rather than dollars.
Neighborhood
Canarsie is a middle-income Brooklyn neighborhood where roughly half of households own their homes (median value around $688,000) and median household income sits near $82,000. About 15% of households have children under 18, and just over a quarter of adults have a bachelor's degree. The L train is the main transit link, with three stops within a reasonable walk of the school — putting Manhattan roughly 45 minutes away and connecting residents easily to the rest of eastern Brooklyn.
Families reach P.S. 66 via the L train — Canarsie-Rockaway Pkwy is about a 7-minute walk and East 105 St about 9 minutes, with New Lots Av a third option about 17 minutes away.
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) · 217 families responded (41% 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
Pre-K
P.S. 66 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. 66 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. 66 admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- P.S./I.S. 66Unscreened100 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.
- 2Unscreened programs fill by random lottery among the families who rank them.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
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. 66 a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 66 earns an overall rating of 57/100 — 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 18 average.
- What grades does P.S. 66 serve?
- P.S. 66 serves grades Pre-K to 8.
- How do students get into P.S. 66?
- P.S. 66 admits by application through a random lottery, with no academic screen.
- Is P.S. 66 public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 66 is a public school in NYC Community School District 18.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 66 in?
- P.S. 66 is in Canarsie, Brooklyn.