P.S./I.S. 224

Test scores here trail district averages substantially — ELA proficiency at 27% versus the district's 51.3%, and math at 14.3% versus 49%. But the trend line tells a more complicated story: math proficiency has climbed from 3.2% in 2016 to 14.3% in 2025, and ELA has more than doubled from 11.7%. The gains are real, even if the school still has far to go. One notable wrinkle: 8th-grade math proficiency is just 5.7%, a sharp drop from 7th grade's 26.7% — worth asking the school about directly.

The day-to-day picture here is genuinely split. On the family side, parents report overwhelmingly positive relationships — 96% satisfaction, 97% trust in teachers, 94% trust in the principal — and families show up to be counted (85% survey response rate, well above typical). On the staff side, teachers rate their own instruction quality below the district average (75% vs 88.4%) and report weaker trust in school leadership. Discipline has ticked upward — from zero suspensions two years ago to five last year, against a district average suspension rate of under 1% — and the school leans on restorative practices and a Saturday Academy to respond. Attendance is the biggest single issue: 65.9% of students are chronically absent, far above the district norm.

P.S./I.S. 224's student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic (67%) and Black (29%), closely reflecting the demographics of Mott Haven-Port Morris itself. With an economic need index of 94.8%, almost every student comes from a household facing financial pressure — unsurprising given a median neighborhood income around $29,110. About a third of students have IEPs, and the school also runs self-contained special education classes alongside general education. Despite the concentrated demographics, the school remains an unscreened public option open to all neighborhood families.

Mott Haven-Port Morris sits in the South Bronx with median household income around $29,110 and a 40.1% poverty rate, making it one of the city's most economically challenged areas. Only about 12% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, and homeownership is rare at 6.1%, though new construction has pushed median home values sharply higher. About 12% of households include children.

The school is about a 4-minute walk from the Brook Av station on the 6 line, with the 3 Av-149 St stop (2 and 5 trains) and Cypress Av (6) each about a 9-minute walk away — solid subway access for families throughout the South Bronx.