P.S. 74 Future Leaders Elementary School

P.S. 74 posted dramatic academic gains in 2024-25, with ELA proficiency jumping from 25.7% to 42.9% and math from 30.8% to 40.4% — roughly a 17-point increase in reading and 10 points in math. However, these scores still place the school well below the district averages of 61.3% in ELA and 61% in math, meaning students are catching up but not yet meeting typical district performance. The overall quality score of 1.67 out of 4 reflects this gap. Third grade shows the strongest ELA performance at 48%, while fourth grade trails at 37.5% — a spread that suggests variability in how different grade levels have benefited from recent improvements.

The survey data tells a nuanced story: teachers and families report near-universal trust in leadership (94-100% across all trust measures) and rate instruction quality at 99%, suggesting the school has strong internal foundations. Parent satisfaction sits at 88%, and a remarkable 100% of parents report strong relationships with the school. However, teacher-reported safety at 78% is notably below the district average of 95%, which is worth understanding in context. The attendance picture is challenging — at 82.9% it's significantly below the district average of 91.4%, and chronic absenteeism at 34.9% is a real concern, particularly given that 60% of white students and 53% of Asian students are chronically absent versus 29-32% of Black and Hispanic students. Suspensions are slightly elevated at 2% versus the district average of 0.4%.

With 269 students, P.S. 74 is a small school where 60% of students are Hispanic and 29% are Black, reflecting the diverse population of St. George-New Brighton. The economic need index of 88.1% is very high, and 31% of students have IEPs — both well above typical district figures. The diversity index of 57% indicates moderate demographic variety. PTA fundraising is notably low at $6 per student ($1,738 total), compared to the district average of $141 per student, suggesting either less fundraising capacity or different priorities in this community. The neighborhood has a median household income of $73,042 with a 19.5% poverty rate and only 35.4% homeownership, indicating a predominantly rental community.

St. George-New Brighton sits in a convenient location with excellent transit access (85.82 percentile) but faces real challenges — the safety score of 36.02 is quite low, reflecting elevated crime density and collision rates in the area. The neighborhood has a modest 33% rate of residents with BA+ education and only 13.2% of households have children, making it less family-dense than many other parts of Staten Island. The area has moderate health environment scores, with notably elevated asthma rates (47.3 per 1,000) and 19% of homes with elevated lead risk. Family-oriented amenities are limited, though the neighborhood's stability score (79.69) suggests an established community.

Families arriving by car will find street parking in an area with moderate traffic; the excellent transit score means many families likely rely on the subway and bus connections that serve this neighborhood well.