At a Glance
A zoned Staten Island elementary posting its strongest scores in nearly a decade, held together by unusually deep family-principal trust
Best suited for
Families zoned for the area who want a stable, trust-rich elementary experience and are willing to prioritize daily attendance habits on their own.
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
- Test scores rebounded from a 2022 low of 44.8% ELA to 61.9% in 2025, the best mark in roughly a decade
- Math proficiency of 64.2% runs a few points above the district average of 61.0%
- 100% of teachers report feeling safe — notably higher than the district's 94.8%
- Parent-principal trust at 97% and parent-teacher trust at 96% suggest rare alignment between home and school
- Suspensions are essentially nonexistent — one in each of the past two years, zero before that
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 81.3% is the school's biggest flag and well above what you'd expect from the 93.5% average attendance rate
- Asian students show the highest chronic absenteeism (89.4%) in the subgroup data, which may warrant a closer look if your family fits that profile
- Average class size of 23.4 matches the district average — neither a perk nor a problem
- Year-to-year test score volatility (a 14-point ELA swing between 2019 and 2022) suggests results can shift quickly with cohort changes
- 21% IEP enrollment means the school is well-practiced at inclusion, but families should confirm the specific support model fits their child
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 31
District 31 has several standouts — P.S. 35, Naples Street, and P.S. 005 all post overall scores in the 96-99 range — and Vierno sits in the middle of the pack at 2.52/4, just above the district average of 2.45. It's not a flagship, but it's a comfortably above-average neighborhood school.
Academics
Vierno's 2025 ELA proficiency (61.9%) edges out the district average of 61.3%, and math proficiency (64.2%) sits clearly above the district's 61.0%. The more interesting story is the trajectory: after bottoming out at 44.8% ELA and 45% math in 2022 (pandemic-era), the school has now posted its best combined results since 2018 — a meaningful bounce-back rather than a fluke. Scores by grade are remarkably consistent (61-68% across grades 3-5), suggesting the gains aren't concentrated in one cohort.
Culture
The survey numbers here are genuinely striking: 100% of teachers report feeling safe (well above the 94.8% district average), 97% of parents trust the principal, and 96% trust their child's teacher. That's a school where adults are aligned. Discipline is essentially a non-issue — one suspension in each of the past two years and none before that. The shadow over all of this is chronic absenteeism: 81.3% of students miss 10% or more of school days, even though average daily attendance is a healthy 93.5%. That gap means most kids are showing up most days, but a stubborn minority are missing weeks at a stretch.
Community
Vierno's enrollment of 639 is roughly 41% White, 27% Asian, 25% Hispanic, and 5% Black, with a diversity index of 73% — a genuinely mixed student body that mirrors the neighborhood's solidly middle-class profile. The economic need index of 61.5 tells you a meaningful share of families are working-class or stretched, which is slightly higher than you'd predict from the surrounding census tract (9.5% poverty, $91,669 median income). IEP enrollment sits at 21%, well above the citywide norm, so this is a school accustomed to supporting a range of learners.
Neighborhood
New Dorp-Midland Beach is a homeowner neighborhood on Staten Island's south shore — 75% of households own their homes, the median value is around $652,000, and the typical family has school-age kids (23.4% of households include children). About 30% of adult residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the area has a distinctly suburban feel for New York City, with single-family homes and quiet blocks. The nearest subway stations are along the Staten Island Railway within walking distance, so families commuting into Manhattan aren't doing a long haul to the train.
Most families walk to school — Grant City SIR is about 8 minutes away, New Dorp SIR about 10 minutes, and Jefferson Av SIR about 15 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) · 365 families responded (54% rate)
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Pre-K
The Stephanie A. Vierno 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 Stephanie A. Vierno School 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.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is The Stephanie A. Vierno School a good school?
- On Motley, The Stephanie A. Vierno School earns an overall rating of 63/100 — 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 in line with the District 31 average.
- What grades does The Stephanie A. Vierno School serve?
- The Stephanie A. Vierno School serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into The Stephanie A. Vierno School?
- The Stephanie A. Vierno School admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is The Stephanie A. Vierno School public, charter, or private?
- The Stephanie A. Vierno School is a public school in NYC Community School District 31.
- What neighborhood is The Stephanie A. Vierno School in?
- The Stephanie A. Vierno School is in New Dorp-Midland Beach, Staten Island.