Ps/is 217 Roosevelt Island, Roosevelt Island NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps/is 217 Roosevelt Island

PS/IS 217 sits on Roosevelt Island's Main Street spine in a community built in the 1970s as a planned residential enclave and now reshaped by decades of development, the arrival of Cornell Tech, and the ongoing Riverwalk residential boom. The school serves prekindergarten through eighth grade and draws from a small, economically and racially mixed population in a neighborhood where waterfront parks, walkability, and relative isolation define daily life. Most families live within the island's residential towers and travel outward by subway, cable car, or bus.

The school's enrollment is modest, around that range for all grades combined, though grades bulk unequally: the elementary grades (K through 5) are substantial, while sixth through eighth are noticeably small, suggesting that many families leave the island at the middle school transition. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is racially diverse, with Asian students the largest single group, followed by white, Hispanic, Black, and smaller cohorts of other races and ethnicities. The school's special populations data—rates for students with IEPs or English learners—were not available from the data provided.

Academic performance shows a clear grade-band divide. The elementary grades (3 through 5) perform strongly. In grades 3 and 4, proficiency in both math and English language arts tracks in the upper-seventies range. Grade 5 is the highest performing, with math proficiency in the mid-eighties and ELA proficiency near that level; science in grade 5 also sits in the mid-seventies. Performance remains above the midpoint across the county's tested districts in overall proficiency.

The middle grades (6 and 7) show a different pattern. Proficiency in both math and ELA drops into the mid-forties to low-sixties—a meaningful dip from grade 5. Grade 6 math and ELA both fall to around the sixty-percent mark; grade 7 hovers near the same level. Grade 8 had no math test data reported (the school may not have an eighth-grade cohort large enough to test or may not offer math testing at that level), though ELA in grade 8 sits in the low sixties and science rises slightly to the low-sixties range.

This pattern suggests a transition challenge. Students move from strong elementary performance to a middle grades experience where proficiency softens considerably. The causes—changes in curriculum rigor, teacher or staffing differences, the inherent complexity of middle school academics, or other factors—are not visible in the data provided. A parent considering this school may want to look into the school's approach to the grade 6 transition and the resources it devotes to supporting students as they move from the well-performing elementary tier into the middle grades.

Roosevelt Island itself is quieter and more economically varied than much of Manhattan. The housing market has shifted markedly with the Riverwalk project, which completed its final tower recently and brought hundreds of new families to the island. Home values have climbed substantially above the state average. The island's walkability by design and abundant parks appeal to families with young children. Cornell Tech's presence shapes the neighborhood's professional and educational character, and long-time residents cite the island's small-town enclave feel as a draw. That said, the ongoing development and infrastructure concerns raised by some residents—pothole maintenance, pier closures, and questions about whether new construction is aligned with the original plan—suggest the island is in a state of change that may affect neighborhood character and school experience in ways families should consider.

The school is part of New York City Geographic District 2, which covers Manhattan and serves a diverse set of neighborhoods. The district recently implemented systemwide changes to Gifted & Talented admissions, replacing standardized testing with teacher nomination and a lottery for kindergarten and expanding eligibility for later grades. The G&T system remains in active flux, with proposals to eliminate kindergarten admissions under discussion, so families should stay informed if they have an interest in advanced pathways.

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Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

1 course 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	28	75.0%

Math

Grade 376%

School 76% · District 81% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 482%

School 82% · District 79% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 587%

School 87% · District 78% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 71% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 80% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 51% · ▼ 51 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 374%

School 74% · District 80% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 78% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 580%

School 80% · District 81% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 648%

School 48% · District 74% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 77% · ▼ 31 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 77% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Science

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 67% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 57% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 55 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 587%

School 87% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 852%

School 52% · district not reported

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT # 2, 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-income57%Higher-income80%23 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income91%48 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income74%Higher-income83%9 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income50%Higher-income47%3 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income38%Higher-income58%21 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income54%Higher-income70%16 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income59%Higher-income81%22 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income54%Higher-income93%39 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income65%Higher-income95%30 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income50%Higher-income69%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income38%Higher-income86%48 pp gap