The Kathleen Grimm School for Leadership and Sustainability

Test scores here significantly outpace the district — math proficiency of 85.2% versus the district average of 61%, and ELA at 81% versus 61%. The school earned an overall quality score of 3.32 out of 4, substantially above the district average of 2.45. Looking at the trend, scores have fluctuated year to year (math ranged from 57.3% to 85.2% between 2019 and 2025; ELA from 66.5% to 81%), but the most recent year shows strong improvement in both subjects. By grade, 5th graders lead in ELA (85.2%) while 4th graders excel in math (89.7%), suggesting strong instruction across the upper elementary grades.

The survey data paints a remarkably positive picture of school culture — 100% of teachers report feeling safe, 96% trust the principal, and 96% say instruction quality is strong. Families are equally positive: 93% are satisfied, 95% trust teachers, and 100% report strong relationships with staff. There's a notable disconnect, however, between these strong survey results and the chronic absenteeism rate of 80.4% — nearly all students miss significant school time despite families reporting high satisfaction and strong connections to the school. Discipline is exemplary with zero suspensions across the past three school years.

The student body is predominantly white (76%) with meaningful Hispanic representation (14%) and a smaller Asian population (8%). This mirrors the neighborhood's demographics — a mostly white, middle-to-upper-income community with 41.3% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. The economic need index of 26.2% is relatively low, meaning fewer students face poverty-related challenges that can affect learning. At 467 students across pre-K through 5th grade, the school maintains a class size of 23.4, identical to the district average. Nearly a quarter of students (23%) have IEPs, indicating robust special education services.

This school sits in one of Staten Island's most family-friendly and stable neighborhoods. The Annadale-Huguenot-Prince's Bay-Woodrow area scores very high on safety (87.36 percentile), family density (65.52), and education orientation (68.58). Homeownership is exceptionally high at 79.5%, and median home values hover around $800,000. The neighborhood has strong health environment scores (95.79) and low poverty (5.4%). Transit access is limited (19.92), which is typical for this part of Staten Island — most families drive. There are parks and family resources nearby, and the area has a reputation for being quiet and residential.

This is a car-dependent neighborhood. Most families drive their children to school, as public transit options are limited. The school is accessible from Bloomingdale Road, a main thoroughfare, but walking or biking is less common here than in more urban parts of the city.