P.S. 90 Edna Cohen School

In 2025, 74.1% of students were proficient in ELA and 80.3% in math — comfortably above the district averages of roughly 60% and 63%. The jump is dramatic: ELA moved from 40% in 2024 to 74%, and math from 52% to 80%, after years of scores hovering between 22% and 50%. Grade-level breakdowns show 3rd graders especially strong in math (84.4%), 4th graders balanced in both subjects (72% ELA, 80.4% math), and 5th graders stronger in ELA than math (83.6% vs 76.5%). That single-year leap is large enough that families should ask the school directly what changed — curriculum, instruction, assessment conditions — before assuming it's a new steady state.

Inside the building, adults report a tight community. Teacher trust in school leadership is at 92%, teacher-to-teacher trust at 96%, and 98% of teachers rate instruction quality positively — all above or matching district averages. Parents feel heard: 96% trust their child's teacher, 93% trust the principal, and 89% are satisfied with the school overall, though that's slightly below the district's 92%. Teacher-reported safety sits at 96%. On the harder data points, attendance is 88% (below the district's 91.2%) and chronic absenteeism is 52%, meaning more than half of students miss 10% or more of the school year — a serious concern. Discipline is light: 3 suspensions in 2023-24, up from zero in the two prior years, which is still a low 1% suspension rate but roughly double the district average.

The student body is 49% Hispanic, 22% Black, 14% Asian, 13% White, and 1% multi-racial, giving the school a diversity index of 73%. That mix tracks with the surrounding Coney Island-Sea Gate neighborhood, where 27.8% of residents live below the poverty line and the median household income is under $44,000. The school's economic need index of 87.1 confirms that most families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Sixteen percent of students have IEPs, and the school serves a self-contained special education population alongside general education classes.

Coney Island-Sea Gate is a lower-income, densely built corner of southern Brooklyn where about 28% of households live in poverty and median income sits near $44,000. Only 10.3% of households have children — lower than typical family-heavy neighborhoods — which reflects the area's mix of older residents and immigrant families rather than young professionals. Homeownership is just under 29% despite a median home value near $886,000, signaling a rental-heavy market. About 35.6% of adult residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the city average. The school sits within a short walk of the Coney Island-Stillwell terminal, the area's major transit crossroads.

Easiest route is the Coney Island-Stillwell Av stop on the D, F, N, and Q lines, about a 2-minute walk. W 8 St-NY Aquarium (F, Q) is roughly 6 minutes on foot, and Neptune Av (F) is about 8 minutes away.