At a Glance
A Small Catholic Elementary School Serving a Predominantly Hispanic Community in Northern Manhattan
Best suited for
Families seeking a small, faith-based elementary education in Washington Heights who are comfortable with Catholic values and want their children to learn in a predominantly Hispanic community. Parents should prioritize visiting the neighborhood to assess safety firsthand and should align with the school's religious mission.
What stands out
- Small elementary school with approximately 220 students across PK-5
- Catholic faith-based environment with daily prayer and religious instruction
- 12:1 student-teacher ratio allows for more personalized attention
- Strong representation of the local Hispanic community — nearly 80% of students
- Located in a culturally rich neighborhood with excellent subway access
Things to consider
- The safety score of 10/100 is notably low — parents should visit the neighborhood at different times and factor this into their decision
- As a Catholic school, families should be comfortable with religious instruction and practices
- Very high Hispanic representation (78%) means less demographic diversity than some Manhattan schools
- Small enrollment means limited extracurricular offerings compared to larger schools
- Tuition costs for private Catholic schools are not listed here but represent a significant annual investment
Identity
St. Elizabeth School is a coed Catholic elementary school in Washington Heights, serving children from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade. As a parish school rooted in Roman Catholic tradition, faith integration is woven into daily life through prayer, religious instruction, and character education.
Community
With 220 students across pre-K through 5th grade, St. Elizabeth is a small school where families likely know each other. The student body is predominantly Hispanic (78%), with smaller populations of white students (8%), Black students (6%), and multiracial students (6%). This reflects the surrounding Washington Heights neighborhood.
Neighborhood
Washington Heights is a vibrant, predominantly Dominican neighborhood in northern Manhattan with strong cultural identity, excellent transit connections, and busy commercial corridors along Broadway and 181st Street. However, the safety score of 10/100 is a serious consideration — this reflects crime statistics in the area that warrant careful research and potentially escorting children to and from school.
The neighborhood has strong transit options (76/100) with easy access to the A, C, and 1 subway lines. Families living within the neighborhood can likely walk to school, though the safety concerns should inform arrival and dismissal plans.
Notable Programs
What Parents Are Saying
Highly positive reviews; parents describe school as welcoming with diverse community, excellent safety measures, supportive staff. Niche rating 4.71/5, GreatSchools rating 4/5. Multiple reviews praise Principal Stark and note strong sense of family.
Synthesized from public parent reviews · Apr 2026
Get the complete picture
Motley pulls together data from across New York City so you don’t have to. One free account, every school.
No credit card required
Get all this when you sign in
Survey data, program listings, admissions stats, and the full editorial profile — free, no credit card.
Full School Profile
Skip the tour guessing game. Get the standout features, honest trade-offs, and whether your kid will actually thrive here — before you visit.
Survey Results
See what 2,600+ schools’ own families and teachers really think — trust, safety, instruction quality — so you walk in with the truth, not the brochure.
Programs & Activities
Stop Googling program lists. AP courses, STEM labs, dual-language tracks, sports teams, arts — all categorized so you can compare schools in minutes.
Admissions Demand
Know your odds before you apply. Apps-per-seat ratios, offer rates, and fill data — so you don’t waste your top choice on a long shot.
Economic Need & Special Populations
Find out if the support your child needs is actually there — IEP enrollment, economic need index, and the demographics no other site surfaces.
Discipline
One bad year doesn’t tell you much. Three years of state-verified suspension data shows whether things are getting better or worse.
Explore nearby
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is ST ELIZABETH SCHOOL a good school?
- Published quality ratings aren't available for ST ELIZABETH SCHOOL yet on Motley. It's a private school serving grades Pre-K to 5 in Washington Heights (North).
- What grades does ST ELIZABETH SCHOOL serve?
- ST ELIZABETH SCHOOL serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into ST ELIZABETH SCHOOL?
- ST ELIZABETH SCHOOL runs its own private admissions process — typically an application, a visit, and sometimes testing.
- Is ST ELIZABETH SCHOOL public, charter, or private?
- ST ELIZABETH SCHOOL is a private school.
- What neighborhood is ST ELIZABETH SCHOOL in?
- ST ELIZABETH SCHOOL is in Washington Heights (North), Manhattan.