P.S. /I.S. 384 Frances E. Carter

Test scores at this K-8 school show significant ground to make up: 33.8% ELA proficiency and 28.4% math proficiency fall well below the district averages of 45.9% and 43.2% respectively. The school earned an overall score of 1.24 out of 4, compared to the district's 1.78. However, there's a silver lining in the grade-level data — 6th graders show 40.5% ELA proficiency and 7th graders hit 44.7%, suggesting that older students are catching up. Math remains a struggle across most grades, though 3rd graders performed strongly at 59.3% in math — an outlier worth noting. The trend line since 2016 shows modest fluctuation with a slight upward trajectory in recent years, particularly in math, which climbed from 14.5% in 2022 to 28.4% in 2025.

Here's where the picture gets interesting: despite below-average test scores, the school's relational metrics are standout strong. Parents report 97% trust in both teachers and the principal, and every single family surveyed (100%) reported strong relationships — a remarkable figure. Teacher-reported safety is solid at 94%, and teacher collegial trust is high at 92%. That said, teacher-principal trust sits lower at 79%, which could signal some administrative friction. The attendance story is concerning — the school has a 67.9% chronic absenteeism rate, meaning roughly two-thirds of students are missing significant school time. The 90.9% attendance rate trails the district average. Suspensions increased from 1-2 in prior years to 5 in 2023-24 (2% of students), slightly above the district average of 1.2%. This is a school where families feel genuinely connected, but daily attendance and consistent instruction may be the real challenges.

This is a small school with 384 students serving grades K-8 — a true neighborhood school in scale and feel. The student body is 82% Hispanic and 17% Black, reflecting the surrounding East Bushwick community. Nearly a quarter of students (23%) have IEPs, and the economic need index of 88.9% places this among the highest-need schools in the district. The diversity index is 30%, which is lower than many Brooklyn schools, reflecting the relatively homogeneous demographics of this specific neighborhood pocket. Class sizes average 20.8 students, essentially identical to the district average.

East Bushwick is a densely populated, family-oriented neighborhood in north Brooklyn with excellent transit access (89.66 percentile) and high family density (82.76 percentile). The median home value of $949,127 reflects the broader Brooklyn real estate market, though median household income of $67,099 and a 23.9% poverty rate show economic diversity. The neighborhood scores low on safety (23.75 percentile) and has environmental health concerns — elevated lead rates (21.2%) and high asthma emergency department rates (104.4 per 10,000) are notable. There are green spaces and community resources, though the area is primarily residential with industrial edges. Families here are largely working-class to middle-income, and the 11.5% of households with children means this is a neighborhood where families are a significant presence but not the majority.

The school is accessible by foot from the surrounding zoned blocks, and the area has strong public transit options given its 89.66 transit score. Families in the zone walk or take buses; those outside the zone would typically need to drive.