At a Glance
A community-anchored zoned PK-8 in Washington Heights where parents feel deeply heard but academic scores trail the district
Best suited for
Working-class Washington Heights families who want a small, zoned PK-8 with a relationship-first culture and a deeply engaged parent community, and who are comfortable supplementing academic support outside school hours.
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
- Zero suspensions for three straight years — a striking commitment to restorative practices
- Near-universal parent trust: 98% teacher trust, 97% principal trust, 100% strong relationships
- Math proficiency has climbed steadily over a decade, from 26% to 42%
- PK-8 zoned school — students stay in one building from early childhood through eighth grade
- Walkable to three subway lines, with the closest just a 3-minute walk
Things to consider
- ELA has slipped from a 2019 peak of 41% to 32% and trails the district by 15 points
- Teacher morale is a flag: instruction quality (76%) and principal trust (77%) lag significantly behind parent-side enthusiasm
- Chronic absenteeism runs high at 64%, well above typical levels
- PTA fundraising at $34/student trails the district's $52, which may limit enrichment offerings
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 6
In a district home to several high-scoring charter options in Washington Heights, P.S./I.S. 173 sits as a traditional zoned school serving a predominantly Hispanic, working-class neighborhood — well below district averages on overall score but holding unusually strong family loyalty.
Academics
Math is the school's quiet success: proficiency climbed from 26.1% in 2016 to 42.1% today, real progress, though it still trails the district average of 52.1%. ELA has moved in the opposite direction, falling from a 2019 peak of 41.1% to 31.6% and well below the district's 47.1%. By grade, eighth-grade math is a bright spot at 68%, but third-grade ELA at 19.5% and seventh-grade ELA at 14.9% are clear weak points.
Culture
Parents rave about this school — 94% satisfied, 98% trust teachers, 97% trust the principal, 100% report strong relationships — but teachers are notably less enthusiastic: just 76% rate instruction quality positively (vs. 90% district-wide) and 77% trust the principal. Attendance is concerning at 89.6% with 63.7% chronic absenteeism, and teacher-reported safety (85%) trails the district's 93%. The bright spot is discipline: zero suspensions for three straight years signals a relationship-first approach.
Community
P.S./I.S. 173's 408 students are 91% Hispanic, mirroring the Dominican-American character of southern Washington Heights, with a diversity index of just 24% reflecting that concentration. The economic need index of 75.6 means three-quarters of students qualify for need-based support, and 17% have IEPs. Average class size of 21.9 mirrors the district, though PTA fundraising at $34 per student runs well below the district's $52 — a reflection of the neighborhood's tighter household budgets.
Neighborhood
The school sits in southern Washington Heights, where most residents rent (only 8% own), median household income is $55,786, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. About a third of adults have a bachelor's degree, and only 9% of households include children — a relatively low share typical of older Dominican households and newer arrivals. The neighborhood is a working-class, immigrant-rooted community with deep multi-generational ties.
Three subway options are within a short walk: the A at 175 St (about 3 minutes), the A and C at 168 St (about 7 minutes), and the 1 at 168 St-Washington Heights (about 7 minutes).
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) · 316 families responded (56% rate)
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./I.S. 173 Fort Washington School in the Heights 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./I.S. 173 Fort Washington School in the Heights 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. We don't have P.S./I.S. 173 Fort Washington School in the Heights's program list, so read how each of its programs admits on MySchools before you rank it.
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.
- 2Rank 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./I.S. 173 Fort Washington School in the Heights a good school?
- On Motley, P.S./I.S. 173 Fort Washington School in the Heights earns an overall rating of 37/100 — 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 below the District 6 average.
- What grades does P.S./I.S. 173 Fort Washington School in the Heights serve?
- P.S./I.S. 173 Fort Washington School in the Heights serves grades Pre-K to 8.
- How do students get into P.S./I.S. 173 Fort Washington School in the Heights?
- P.S./I.S. 173 Fort Washington School in the Heights admits by zone. For elementary grades, children who live in its zone get a guaranteed seat; for the older grades, living in the zone gives priority, not a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S./I.S. 173 Fort Washington School in the Heights public, charter, or private?
- P.S./I.S. 173 Fort Washington School in the Heights is a public school in NYC Community School District 6.
- What neighborhood is P.S./I.S. 173 Fort Washington School in the Heights in?
- P.S./I.S. 173 Fort Washington School in the Heights is in Washington Heights (South), Manhattan.