At a Glance
A small, diverse Staten Island elementary where parent trust runs high and students just made their biggest academic leap in years
Best suited for
Families looking for a small, diverse elementary in north shore Staten Island where parent-teacher relationships are unusually strong — and who can build consistent daily attendance habits at home.
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
- The 2025 academic leap is striking: ELA and math each jumped roughly 15 points in a single year, the strongest single-year gain on record.
- Math proficiency has climbed from 13.3% in 2017 to 49.1% in 2025 — nearly quadrupling over eight years.
- Parent-teacher trust (94%) and teacher-rated instruction quality (98%) signal a genuinely strong school culture that doesn't always show up in test scores alone.
- A genuinely diverse student body (72% diversity index) reflecting the multicultural character of north shore Staten Island.
- Small enrollment of 286 means most kids are known by name — a real asset for families who value tight community over breadth of programming.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 61.8% means more than six in ten students miss substantial school time — a real obstacle to academic growth.
- Math proficiency at 49.1% still trails the district average of 61%, even after this year's gains.
- Attendance rate (89.1%) sits below the district's 91.4%.
- PTA fundraising at $87 per student is well under the district average of $141, which can mean fewer enrichment programs funded by parents.
- Several peer schools in District 31 — P.S. 35, Naples Street, P.S. 5 — rate substantially higher on the city survey, so this is not the top-performing option in the borough.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 31
District 31 includes some of the highest-rated elementary schools in the city — P.S. 35, Naples Street, and P.S. 5 all score in the 96-99 range. The Harbor View School sits below the district's academic, attendance, and overall score averages, though the 2025 gains suggest real momentum. This is a working-in-the-right-direction school rather than a peer-leading one.
Academics
The 2025 numbers are the headline. ELA proficiency hit 57.7%, still slightly below the district average of 61.3%, but the second-highest mark in nearly a decade and a 15-point jump from 2024. Math proficiency at 49.1% is the school's best result on record and a remarkable climb from just 13.3% back in 2017 — nearly quadrupling over eight years. Year-to-year scores have been bumpy, but the long-term arc, especially in math, points clearly upward. By grade, third-graders are leading at 60% math proficiency, while fourth and fifth grade math (39.4% and 47.7%) still lag.
Culture
The chronic absenteeism figure of 61.8% is the most significant climate challenge, well above what families typically see and likely reflecting a mix of family circumstances and lingering post-pandemic patterns. The survey picture, though, is genuinely warm: 100% of teachers say they have strong relationships, 98% rate instruction quality highly, and 93% feel safe. Parent trust in teachers (94%) and in the principal (88%) are both strong, and discipline is light — just 2 suspensions in 2023-24 after zero in the two prior years. The day-to-day feel reads as a connected, well-led school that is still working hard on getting kids through the door.
Community
The student body is predominantly Black (41%) and Hispanic (37%), with smaller White (13%), multi-racial (6%), and Asian (3%) populations — a 72% diversity index that genuinely reflects the multicultural mix of north shore Staten Island. An economic need index of 68.5% means most students come from lower-income households, and 19% have IEPs. The school mirrors its surrounding neighborhood: median income around $73K, about 19.5% of residents in poverty, and roughly one-third of adults holding a bachelor's degree.
Neighborhood
The school sits in St. George-New Brighton, a waterfront neighborhood on Staten Island's north shore. The area skews working-class — about 19.5% of residents live below the poverty line and only 13.2% of households include children, suggesting a population skews more toward renters and older adults than young families. Homeownership is relatively low at 35%, though homes that do sell carry values around $557K. Getting around by transit means the Staten Island Railway, and most school-commuting families likely arrive by car or bus rather than walking.
The closest station is St George on the Staten Island Railway, about a 12-minute walk, with Tompkinsville (SIR) about 18 minutes away — most families likely drive or take the 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) · 132 families responded (54% rate)
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
The Harbor View School 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
The Harbor View School doesn't have an attendance zone of its own, so living nearby doesn't guarantee a seat here. Families apply on MySchools, and seats go to the school's priority groups first, then by random lottery.
Kindergarten application
- Opens
- Wed, Dec 9
- Closes
- Fri, Jan 22
- Offers
- Tue, Mar 30
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the kindergarten application.
- 2Rank this school with your zoned school, if you have one, and any others you'd take — in true preference order.
Open houses and tours
Open house
Mon, Nov 23, · 9:00 AM · In person
Open house
Mon, Dec 7, · 9:00 AM · In person
Open house
Mon, Dec 14, · 2:45 PM · In person
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is The Harbor View School a good school?
- On Motley, The Harbor View School earns an overall rating of 54/100 — 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 The Harbor View School serve?
- The Harbor View School serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- Is The Harbor View School public, charter, or private?
- The Harbor View School is a public school in NYC Community School District 31.
- What neighborhood is The Harbor View School in?
- The Harbor View School is in St. George-New Brighton, Staten Island.