At a Glance
A high-achieving zoned elementary in Brooklyn's Asian-American heartland where math scores lead the borough and trust between families and staff runs unusually deep
Best suited for
Families living in the Dyker Heights zoned area — particularly Asian-American families seeking a high-performing, high-trust neighborhood school — who value academic rigor and a calm culture over program variety or PTA-driven enrichment.
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
- Math proficiency above 83%, well above district average, with consistency across multiple years
- ELA scores climbed roughly 15 percentage points from 2016 to 2025 — one of the clearer improvement stories in the district
- Parent-teacher trust at 99% and zero suspensions for two consecutive years point to a notably calm, high-trust environment
- Teacher instruction quality rated at 99% — one of the highest in the district
- Multiple nearby subway options (N and D lines) make it one of the more accessible zoned schools in southwest Brooklyn
Things to consider
- The reported chronic absenteeism figure of 92.8% is unusually high and worth asking the school about — it may reflect extended family travel patterns but should be understood before enrolling
- PTA fundraising at $22 per student is well below district norms, so families wanting an active fundraising-driven PTA may need to ramp up that culture themselves
- The student body is 84% Asian — a strength for families who want that cultural fit, but a limitation for families seeking a more heterogeneous environment
- The school's overall diversity index is low at 31%, so exposure to a range of peers is more limited than at most NYC elementary schools
- Average class size of 25 is right at the district average — don't expect unusually small classes here
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 20
Within District 20 in southwest Brooklyn, this school sits clearly above average on every measured dimension — academics, parent satisfaction, teacher trust, and safety — and is competitive with the district's top peer (the Christa McAuliffe School). It's not a turnaround story; it's a sustained performer that often gets overlooked because it's a zoned school rather than a sought-after magnet.
Academics
Math proficiency at 83.3% runs about 12 points above the district average of 71%, and the trend has been remarkably steady — between 75% and 87% for nearly a decade. ELA proficiency at 72% is roughly 6 points above the district average and tells the more interesting story: the school climbed from 57% in 2016 to 72% in 2025, a meaningful and sustained improvement. By upper elementary, 79% of fifth graders hit proficient in ELA, suggesting the gains consolidate with age. The overall quality score of 3.11/4 lands well above the district's 2.75/4 average.
Culture
Day-to-day, this school feels unusually cohesive. Parent-teacher trust sits at 99% and parent-principal trust at 98%, both far above typical district levels, and teachers rate their own instruction quality at 99% and their colleagues' trust at 94%. Teacher-reported safety is 98% — meaningfully higher than the district's 96.5%. The school suspended zero students in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, suggesting a culture that handles behavior without formal discipline. One figure worth asking about: the chronic absenteeism rate reported is 92.8%, which is high and inconsistent with the 97.3% attendance rate — possibly reflecting extended family travel common in this community, but worth confirming directly with the school.
Community
The student body is 84% Asian, 11% Hispanic, and 6% White — a low-diversity index of 31% that reflects the surrounding neighborhood more than any intentional enrollment pattern. Despite Dyker Heights' high median home values, the school's economic need index of 83.4% indicates most students qualify for free/reduced lunch. IEP students make up 14%, slightly above average. PTA fundraising came in at just $22 per student, well under the district's $61 per student — likely a function of volunteer-run fundraising in a community where families contribute in other ways, but worth noting if an active PTA matters to you.
Neighborhood
Dyker Heights is a family-oriented Brooklyn neighborhood where roughly a quarter of households have kids under 18, median household income is around $76,700, and more than half of homes are owner-occupied. The economic picture is two-tiered: about 1 in 5 residents live in poverty, while median home values exceed $1 million, a split common in parts of southwest Brooklyn. About a third of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The school sits within easy walking distance of three subway stops on the N and D lines, making car-free drop-offs realistic for most of the neighborhood.
Three lines serve the school: Fort Hamilton Pkwy (N) is about a 3-minute walk, 8 Av (N) about 6 minutes, and 62 St (D) about 14 minutes.
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) · 516 families responded (98% 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
Kindergarten
The School For Future Leaders 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.
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From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is The School For Future Leaders a good school?
- On Motley, The School For Future Leaders earns an overall rating of 78/100 — 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 above the District 20 average.
- What grades does The School For Future Leaders serve?
- The School For Future Leaders serves grades K to 5.
- How do students get into The School For Future Leaders?
- The School For Future Leaders admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is The School For Future Leaders public, charter, or private?
- The School For Future Leaders is a public school in NYC Community School District 20.
- What neighborhood is The School For Future Leaders in?
- The School For Future Leaders is in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.