The Barbara Esselborn School

ELA proficiency reached 83% in 2025 and math 82.8%, both comfortably above the District 31 averages of roughly 61% in each subject. The long-term trend is clearly positive — ELA climbed from 51.7% in 2016 to 83% in 2025, and math from 56.9% to 82.8%, though ELA dipped to 74.6% in 2024 before rebounding. Performance is fairly even across grades 3 through 5, with fourth-graders showing the strongest math results at 86.6%. The overall quality review score of 3.32 out of 4 also outpaces the district average of 2.45 out of 4.

The surveys here are as close to perfect as you'll see in a New York City public school. Teachers rate instruction quality and safety at 100%, parent-principal and parent-teacher trust both sit at 98%, and every teacher surveyed said relationships in the building are strong. Parent satisfaction of 96% also beats the district average of 93%. The discipline picture is calm — zero suspensions in each of the past three years — and attendance at 93.9% runs above the district norm of about 91%. One thing parents should ask about: the reported chronic absenteeism rate of 82.4% is a striking outlier against every other climate indicator, with Asian students flagged at 96.2% in the subgroup breakdown. It's worth understanding directly how the school is interpreting that number and what it means day to day.

The student body mostly mirrors the surrounding neighborhood: 59% White, 23% Asian, and 14% Hispanic, with a 20% share of students with IEPs — meaningfully higher than the typical city elementary. The economic need index of 36.6% places this school in the moderate range — neither affluent-only nor high-need. With 798 students, active PTA fundraising of $152 per student (above the district average of $141), and a 60% family survey response rate, the parent base here is unusually engaged and willing to invest.

Great Kills-Eltingville is one of Staten Island's classic family neighborhoods — high homeownership at over 80%, a poverty rate well below the city average at 6.7%, and just over a quarter of households including children. Median household income is nearly $120,000 and roughly four in ten adults hold a bachelor's degree, which tracks with the relatively moderate economic need index at the school. It feels distinctly suburban within a borough that's already less dense than the rest of the city.

Two stops on the Staten Island Railway serve the area — Bay Terrace is about a seven-minute walk from the school, and Great Kills is roughly sixteen minutes on foot. Most families likely drive or walk locally rather than rely on transit for the daily commute.