P.S. 9 Ryer Avenue Elementary School

P.S. 9's 2025 scores sit comfortably above District 10 averages — 52.3% ELA proficiency beats the district's 45%, and 44.6% math edges past the 43.5% district mark, with an overall quality score of 1.94/4 clearing the district's 1.77. But the trajectory has been a rollercoaster: scores climbed steadily from 2016 to 2019, crashed during the pandemic, partially recovered, then dropped back into the low 20s in 2024 before this year's sharp rebound. Inside the building, Grade 4 is the clear bright spot at 61% ELA and 55% math proficiency, while Grade 5 lags at 41% ELA and 31% math. The recent jump is striking and worth taking seriously — but parents should ask whether the gains hold over time.

The day-to-day feel here is shaped by an unusually engaged parent body — 98% satisfaction, 99% parent-teacher trust, and 100% say there are strong relationships between teachers and families, all well above district norms. Teachers also rate instruction quality highly at 97%, and the school recorded zero suspensions last year, an unusually clean discipline record. The picture isn't all rosy: teacher-principal trust sits at just 71%, a notable gap that hints at staff-level concerns about leadership, and only 80% of teachers describe the school as safe, below the district's 87% average. Daily attendance is right at the district norm, but chronic absenteeism runs high at 62%, spread evenly across demographic groups.

The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic (82%) with a meaningful Black population (14%) and a small mix of Asian (2%), White (1%), and Native American (1%) students. The diversity index of 34% reflects a fairly concentrated population by NYC standards, though not a monolithic one. Nearly every student comes from a low-income household — an economic need index of 94.6% is among the highest you can see — and 22% have IEPs. The neighborhood around the school looks similar: a working-class community where median household income is around $40,000, a third of residents live in poverty, and homeownership sits at just 1%.

Fordham Heights is a working-class, largely renter neighborhood in the central Bronx — median household income sits around $40,000 and nearly a third of residents live in poverty, with just 1% of households owning their home. Family density is modest (about 20% of households have children), and only 11% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, suggesting many local families are first-generation and that English-language support is likely a common need in surrounding classrooms. The community has a strong immigrant character that mirrors the school's student body.

Three subway options are within a seven-minute walk: 182-183 Sts on the B and D lines about three minutes away, 183 St on the 4 about six minutes, and Fordham Rd on the B and D about seven minutes.