Ps 184 Shuang Wen, New York NY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 184 Shuang Wen

PS 184 Shuang Wen sits on Cherry Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side, part of NYC Geographic District 1, and runs from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is a public school, not a charter, and its defining characteristic is a Mandarin-English dual-language program that shapes both its identity and its draw. Families seeking a school where children develop genuine biliteracy in both languages through the full elementary and middle grades will find that pathway here in a sustained, structured way that most schools in the city do not offer.

The academic results on state testing are strong across most of the grade band. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through seven are all very high, well above what you would find at a typical school in New York County's districts and at or near the top of that comparison set for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. ELA proficiency across grades three through eight is also well above the state's typical performance, though it runs somewhat lower than math at every grade, which is common in dual-language programs where students are simultaneously developing literacy in two languages. Sixth grade ELA shows the widest gap. Science data was available at fifth grade and sits at a more modest level, meaningfully below the math and ELA results; that gap is worth asking the school about directly. No eighth grade math or eighth grade science results were reported in the data, with no tested students appearing in those cells; the reason is not explained in the available data and a parent would want to ask the school about the eighth grade testing picture. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible from this information to say whether performance has been rising or holding steady.

The student body is substantial for a preK-8 school. Asian-identified students make up the largest share, reflecting the school's Chinatown and Lower East Side location and the bilingual program's natural draw. Hispanic, multiracial, and white students are also part of the mix. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which puts the school in a different economic profile than many high-performing schools in Manhattan. Data on IEP rates and English learner rates was not available in the provided information.

District 1 has no zoned elementary or middle schools, meaning every family must go through a choice process rather than having a guaranteed seat. The district's Diversity in Admissions program sets aside a share of seats by income and other criteria, a structural factor that affects who can realistically access a given school. New York City has also, as of the 2024-25 application cycle, opened middle school applications citywide, so Shuang Wen's own middle school no longer draws exclusively from in-district fifth graders, which may affect the composition of the entering middle school class over time. Separately, New York State's class-size mandate requires NYC schools to reduce to specific caps through 2027-28, a phased change that will affect staffing and space planning at this school as at all others in the district.

The program offerings listed are modest on the extracurricular side, with a student council, yearbook, soccer club, and community service club noted publicly. AP and career-pathway information does not apply here since the school ends at eighth grade.

Housing in the zip code where the school is located is among the most expensive in the state and well above national benchmarks, with rents running well above most of the country as well; both values have risen recently. That context is relevant for families weighing whether the neighborhood is feasible.

What this school is, in plain terms, is a bilingual Mandarin-English school with test results that rank at the top among schools in New York County's districts, embedded in a dense, walkable Lower East Side neighborhood with a majority economically disadvantaged student body and a school choice process that requires active navigation. The science gap and the missing eighth grade testing picture are the two areas where a parent would want a direct conversation with the school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

New York Regents Exams

4 courses reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Math	79	95.0%
Ela	70	84.0%
Science	67	99.0%
Social Studies	42	100.0%

Math

Grade 399%

School 99% · District 68% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 41 pts above county median

Grade 494%

School 94% · District 67% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 589%

School 89% · District 58% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 691%

School 91% · District 56% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 46 pts above county median

Grade 795%

School 95% · District 70% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 53% · ▼ 53 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 385%

School 85% · District 67% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 484%

School 84% · District 68% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 585%

School 85% · District 66% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 678%

School 78% · District 57% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 789%

School 89% · District 66% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 889%

School 89% · District 63% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Science

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 49% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 35% · ▼ 35 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT # 1, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income82%Higher-income88%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income76%Higher-income93%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income79%Higher-income92%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income74%Higher-income88%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income84%Higher-income96%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income84%Higher-income100%16 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income100%Higher-income97%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income88%Higher-income100%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income85%Higher-income93%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income86%Higher-income100%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income94%Higher-income96%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income60%Higher-income65%6 pp gap