At a Glance
Bay Ridge's large screened K-8, where deeply engaged families and strong ELA meet a stubborn math gap
Best suited for
Families seeking a screened K-8 with strong ELL and immigrant support in a family-friendly, transit-accessible Bay Ridge setting — and who can look past a large student body and a notable math gap.
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
- Screened K-8 admissions set 104 apart from most of its district peers, which are typically zoned.
- Robust immigrant and after-school ENL support, including dedicated programs for newcomer students and families.
- Zero suspensions and 97% teacher-reported safety — one of the calmer disciplinary climates in District 20.
- Grade 5 performance is a clear standout, with nearly 80% ELA proficiency and 77.5% in math.
- Strong parent engagement, with 95% of families expressing trust in both teachers and the principal.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 75.4% is well above what most parents expect to see and can quietly undermine instruction.
- Math proficiency runs roughly nine points below the district average — a real, persistent gap.
- At 1,106 students with average class sizes of 25, this is one of the larger K-8s in the area, not an intimate setting.
- PTA fundraising per student ($44) trails the district's $61, which can translate to fewer parent-paid enrichments.
- Teacher-principal trust at 79% is the lowest survey dimension and is worth probing on a tour.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 20
In District 20, 104 sits in the upper tier of peers by program richness (90/100), a step behind the Christa McAuliffe School (94/100) but ahead of several nearby K-8s. Its ELA performance is at the district average while its math and overall score run slightly below the district norm.
Academics
ELA proficiency at 67% sits essentially at the district average (66.2%) and has climbed substantially since 2016, when it hovered near 52%. Math tells a different story: 62.7% trails the district's 71.2% by almost nine points, and the trajectory is bumpier — strong in 2023 (67.1%), softer in other years. Grade 5 is the school's clear bright spot at nearly 80% ELA and 77.5% math, while Grade 6 is the weakest link in both subjects.
Culture
Day-to-day, 104 runs with virtually no suspensions (zero in 2023-24) and very high teacher-reported safety at 97%. Parents express strong trust in teachers and the principal (both 95%), and 97% of teachers rate their own instruction quality highly — figures that exceed district norms. The flip side is a striking chronic absenteeism rate of 75.4%, meaning three in four students miss 10% or more of school days, and teacher-principal trust sits lower at 79%, hinting at some internal friction worth asking about.
Community
The 1,106-student body is more diverse than many Bay Ridge schools, with a plurality White (42%), sizable Hispanic (28%) and Asian (22%) populations, and a small Black enrollment (4%). Seventeen percent of students have IEPs, and an economic need index of 57.3 points to a working- and middle-class mix. The school reflects Bay Ridge's character as a working-family, immigrant-friendly enclave where newcomers and longtime residents sit alongside each other.
Neighborhood
Bay Ridge wraps around the school with a median household income near $89,000, a poverty rate of 11.5%, and roughly 19% of households including children — a clearly family-skewed profile. About half of adult residents hold a bachelor's degree, and homeownership sits near 38%, with a median home value just above $912,000. The neighborhood reads as stable, established, and transit-oriented, with the R line threading through its commercial spine.
Bay Ridge-95 St (R) is about a 4-minute walk and 86 St (R) about 7 minutes; 77 St (R) is roughly 17 minutes on foot.
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
Science Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Science 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) · 385 families responded (39% 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
Kindergarten
P.S./I.S. 104 The Fort Hamilton School has an attendance zone. At elementary level, in-zone students get a guaranteed seat. Every family still applies on MySchools: the application confirms the zoned seat, and ranking other schools doesn't cost you it.
Kindergarten application
- Opens
- Wed, Dec 9
- Closes
- Fri, Jan 22
- Offers
- Tue, Mar 30
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Check that your address is inside the zone — zones change, so confirm it before you sign a lease.
- 2Apply during the kindergarten application, even with a zoned seat.
- 3Rank this school along with 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./I.S. 104 The Fort Hamilton School admits through 2 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Civic Leadership and ResponsibilityZoned102 seats
- Superintendent's Program For Civic Leadership and ResponsibilityScreened27 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.
- 2Screened programs rank 4th-grade course grades, so last year's report card is the one that counts.
- 3Zoned programs give priority to students who live in the zone — a priority, not a guaranteed seat.
- 4Rank 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.
Make this school part of your plan
Everything on this page is yours to read. An account keeps your research in one place.
No credit card required
Compare head-to-head
Explore nearby
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is P.S./I.S. 104 The Fort Hamilton School a good school?
- On Motley, P.S./I.S. 104 The Fort Hamilton School earns an overall rating of 65/100 — 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 20 average.
- What grades does P.S./I.S. 104 The Fort Hamilton School serve?
- P.S./I.S. 104 The Fort Hamilton School serves grades K to 8.
- How do students get into P.S./I.S. 104 The Fort Hamilton School?
- P.S./I.S. 104 The Fort Hamilton School is a screened school — it admits by application, ranking applicants on their course grades (4th grade for middle school, the 7th-grade core-course average for high school); a few schools add an assessment, writing sample, or interview.
- Is P.S./I.S. 104 The Fort Hamilton School public, charter, or private?
- P.S./I.S. 104 The Fort Hamilton School is a public school in NYC Community School District 20.
- What neighborhood is P.S./I.S. 104 The Fort Hamilton School in?
- P.S./I.S. 104 The Fort Hamilton School is in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.