At a Glance
A Port Richmond zoned school where ELA scores have nearly doubled in three years and parents report near-universal trust in the staff.
Best suited for
Zoned Port Richmond families who want a stable neighborhood school with strong parent engagement and rising results, and aren't focused on top-of-district test scores.
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
- Test scores have nearly doubled in three years — ELA from 26% to 43%, math from 15% to 27% — making this one of the more upward-trending elementary schools in Staten Island.
- Zero suspensions across three consecutive years, a notably rare record for a high-need elementary in NYC.
- Parent trust is essentially universal: 96% parent-teacher trust, 100% report strong relationships with school staff.
- Fourth graders outperform the rest of the school handily, with over half meeting ELA and math standards.
- A genuine zoned community school where most students walk in from the surrounding Port Richmond blocks.
Things to consider
- Overall test scores remain well below the District 31 average in both ELA and math, even after the recent gains.
- Chronic absenteeism runs high at 58%, with white and Asian students showing the most elevated rates (both around 68%).
- Teacher-principal trust is a weak spot at 69%, which can affect staff consistency over time.
- A quarter of students have IEPs, signaling a robust inclusion model but also a high-need student body.
- Reaching the school usually requires a car or bus — there's no subway within walking distance.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 31
This school sits in the lower tier of District 31 elementary schools on the peer score list, well behind standouts like P.S. 35 (99) and Naples Street (97). But the academic trajectory and unusually high family satisfaction suggest it's on a different path than its current standing implies.
Academics
Scores here run well below District 31 averages — 43% ELA proficiency against roughly 61% district-wide, and just 27% in math against 61%. The trajectory, though, is the more meaningful story: ELA proficiency climbed from 26% in 2022 to 45% in 2024 (with a small dip to 43% in 2025), and math nearly doubled from 15% to 27%. Fourth grade is the standout cohort, with 53% ELA and 51% math proficiency, while fifth-grade math at 12% is the school's weakest data point.
Culture
Parents feel genuinely embraced — 100% say the school builds strong relationships, 96% trust their teacher, and 93% are satisfied, all matching or beating district averages. Teacher-reported safety (89%) and especially teacher trust in school leadership (69%) trail the district, which suggests the day-to-day culture runs warmer for families than for staff. Chronic absenteeism is high at 58% and overall attendance sits a couple of points below the district norm, but the school recorded zero suspensions across three consecutive years — a genuinely rare number for any NYC elementary.
Community
This is a majority-Hispanic school (51%), with significant Black (21%), White (14%), and Asian (9%) enrollment — a mirror of Port Richmond's working-class, multigenerational character. The economic need index of 68 means roughly two-thirds of students come from high-need households, and 25% have IEPs, both meaningfully above the district norm. With zoned admissions and just 411 students, this is a genuinely community-rooted school where most classes draw from surrounding blocks rather than drawing in commuters.
Neighborhood
Port Richmond is a working-class corner of Staten Island where about 22% of residents live below the poverty line and roughly 48% of households own their homes — a relatively high ownership rate for the borough. Just under a quarter of adults hold a bachelor's degree, and only 18% of households include children, so families are present but not the dominant household type. Getting around means driving or taking the bus, since the neighborhood sits beyond walking distance of any subway line.
With no subway within a 20-minute walk, most families reach this school by car, school bus, or local bus.
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) · 189 families responded (52% rate)
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Pre-K
Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning 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
Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning 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.
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 Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning a good school?
- On Motley, Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning earns an overall rating of 35/100 — 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 31 average.
- What grades does Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning serve?
- Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning?
- Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning public, charter, or private?
- Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning is a public school in NYC Community School District 31.
- What neighborhood is Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning in?
- Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning is in Port Richmond, Staten Island.