At a Glance
A PK-8 neighborhood school in Brighton Beach where families feel heard and the arts run deep
Best suited for
Brighton Beach families who want their kids in a single PK-8 building, value strong parent-school communication, and are drawn to a school with deep arts and extracurricular offerings — and who are comfortable with below-average test scores in exchange for that profile.
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
- Full PK-8 under one roof, so families don't have to navigate a separate middle school transition
- Exceptional arts and extracurricular range for a zoned school: band, performing arts, visual arts, yearbook, and a Saturday Academy
- Offers Regents Living Environment and Algebra I — uncommon at the elementary level
- Perfect 100% family rating on 'strong relationships' and 97% parent-principal trust — among the highest in the district
- Maxed-out 100/100 program richness score
Things to consider
- ELA and math proficiency both run 15-20 percentage points below the district average
- Chronic absenteeism is high and uneven — more than 6 in 10 Black and Hispanic students were chronically absent last year
- 8th grade scores collapse (22.2% ELA, 25.8% math), suggesting older students need extra academic support
- PTA fundraising is roughly a quarter of the district average, limiting what the school can layer on top
- Suspensions jumped from 1 to 7 year-over-year — a small number but a noticeable upward tick worth monitoring
Based on 2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 21
District 21 is home to some of the city's stronger neighborhood and charter options, including Success Academy Bensonhurst and Brooklyn School of Inquiry, both scoring in the 90s on program richness. Among zoned public options in the district, P.S. 225 sits behind schools like P.S. 101 The Verrazano and P.S. 90 Edna Cohen on similar metrics — a middle-of-the-pack zoned option in a district with stiff competition.
Academics
By the numbers, P.S. 225's proficiency rates are a real concern — 37.7% in ELA and 45.6% in math both trail the district average (60% and 63%) by more than 15 percentage points. Scores vary dramatically by grade: 4th and 7th graders do comparatively well in math (65.9% and 62.5%), but 8th graders post just 25.8% in math and 22.2% in ELA — a steep drop-off as students approach middle school graduation. The school's overall quality score of 1.67 out of 4 also lags the district average of 2.46.
Culture
The cultural story here is genuinely strong on the survey side. Parent-teacher trust sits at 95%, parent-principal trust at 97%, and 'strong relationships' earned a perfect 100% from families — unusual numbers anywhere. Teachers also rate instruction quality at 93% (above the district average of 92.6%) and feel very safe at work (96%). The discipline picture is mostly calm — only seven suspensions last year (a 1% rate), though that's up from one the year before and worth watching. Attendance tells a more complicated story.
Community
P.S. 225's student body reflects a genuinely mixed Brighton Beach: 42% White, 32% Hispanic, and 22% Asian, with smaller Black and Native American populations. The economic need index of 82.2% means more than 8 in 10 students are considered economically disadvantaged — well above the city average — which lines up with the neighborhood's 23.3% poverty rate. About 17% of students have IEPs, and the PTA brings in just $20 per student, roughly a quarter of what the average District 21 school raises.
Neighborhood
Brighton Beach is a dense, working-class stretch of southern Brooklyn where median household income sits around $49,000 and the poverty rate is above 23%. About 17% of households have children, and only a quarter of homes are owner-occupied — most residents rent in apartment buildings near the ocean. More than half of neighborhood adults hold a bachelor's degree, suggesting a mix of immigrant professionals and longtime working families.
The school sits within walking distance of three subway stops — Brighton Beach (B, Q) about 7 minutes away, Sheepshead Bay (B, Q) around 10 minutes, and Ocean Parkway (Q) roughly 15 minutes — making it accessible by train from much of southern Brooklyn.
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
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) · 609 families responded (60% 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
Pre-K
P.S. K225 - The Eileen E. Zaglin 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. K225 - The Eileen E. Zaglin 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. K225 - The Eileen E. Zaglin admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- The Eileen E. Zaglin (P.S. 225)Zoned121 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.
- 2Zoned programs give priority to students who live in the zone — a priority, not a guaranteed seat.
- 3Rank 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. K225 - The Eileen E. Zaglin a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. K225 - The Eileen E. Zaglin earns an overall rating of 42/100 — 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 21 average.
- What grades does P.S. K225 - The Eileen E. Zaglin serve?
- P.S. K225 - The Eileen E. Zaglin serves grades Pre-K to 8.
- How do students get into P.S. K225 - The Eileen E. Zaglin?
- P.S. K225 - The Eileen E. Zaglin 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. K225 - The Eileen E. Zaglin public, charter, or private?
- P.S. K225 - The Eileen E. Zaglin is a public school in NYC Community School District 21.
- What neighborhood is P.S. K225 - The Eileen E. Zaglin in?
- P.S. K225 - The Eileen E. Zaglin is in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.