Battery Park City School, New York NY

Original Research by School Decision on Battery Park City School

Battery Park City School serves a small, affluent student body spanning pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in lower Manhattan. It operates as a regular public school within New York City Geographic District 2, drawing students from a neighborhood that is dense, mixed-use, and highly walkable, with a transit-rich context and housing costs well above both the New York State and national averages.

The school's enrollment is modest, skewing toward the smaller end for an urban elementary-to-middle school. Among students whose economic status is known, roughly a fifth qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share notably below the New York City average and consistent with the neighborhood's economic profile. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse, with students identifying as White, Asian, and Hispanic being the largest groups, alongside a substantial share identifying as two or more races. Race and ethnicity breakdowns are close to even across White, Asian, and Hispanic students, though no single group dominates. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs were not available.

Academic performance across tested subjects shows strong proficiency. In mathematics, students in grades three through seven consistently demonstrate above-average attainment, with seventh-grade students showing particularly solid results. Fourth- and fifth-grade math proficiency runs slightly above the all-grades median. Proficiency in English language arts follows a similar pattern, with seventh-grade students performing at notably high levels and fourth through sixth grades also showing strong results. Fifth-grade ELA results are on par with math. Science proficiency data are limited; only fifth grade is tested, where results show solid but somewhat lower attainment than in math and ELA.

Eighth-grade testing data present a partial picture. ELA results for eighth grade are reported but reflect only a partial group of students, suggesting either that the full eighth-grade cohort was not tested or that testing was administered to a subset. No eighth-grade math or science proficiency data are reported, likely because the school's eighth grade may transition students to middle school settings before state testing windows, a pattern not uncommon in New York City's K-8 schools. A parent may want to ask the school directly about eighth-grade testing and how the transition to secondary education is structured.

When positioned against New York County's other districts, Battery Park City School ranks in the top quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. No four-year graduation rate is available because the school does not serve high school students. Chronic absenteeism data were not provided.

Battery Park City sits within an economically active, densely developed neighborhood. Housing values in the school's zip code are substantially above both state and national benchmarks, and rents have risen year over year. The area is one of the most walkable and least car-dependent parts of New York City, with extensive public transit access via the subway and bus systems. Schools in this neighborhood are embedded within the urban street grid rather than on separated campuses; Battery Park City School sits integrated into the block structure of lower Manhattan. Major employers nearby span finance, professional services, technology, and hospitality, with continued hiring in tech roles and tourism-related fields. The broader city is in a sustained housing-growth phase, with recent zoning reform aimed at increasing residential production across all neighborhoods.

One citywide shift relevant to families with young children: New York City eliminated standardized testing for kindergarten Gifted & Talented admissions in favor of teacher nominations and a lottery system, expanding seats but making placement more competitive and luck-dependent. Gifted & Talented admissions for students entering first grade and beyond rely on teacher assessment scores and a citywide lottery; as of late 2025, the mayoral transition has raised the possibility of further changes to the program, including elimination of kindergarten gifted admissions, though this remains uncertain.

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Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

2 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	58	97.0%
Science	53	98.0%

Math

Grade 384%

School 84% · District 81% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 485%

School 85% · District 79% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 580%

School 80% · District 78% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 680%

School 80% · District 71% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 788%

School 88% · District 80% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 30 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 386%

School 86% · District 80% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 78% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 580%

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

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 682%

School 82% · District 74% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 791%

School 91% · District 77% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 77% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Science

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 67% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 57% · ▼ 57 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 8 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-income20%Higher-income92%72 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income81%47 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income88%45 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income63%Higher-income92%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income64%Higher-income97%33 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income43%Higher-income81%38 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income14%Higher-income94%80 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income93%68 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income46%Higher-income86%40 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income65%Higher-income88%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income57%Higher-income95%38 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income9%Higher-income16%7 pp gap