Sixth Avenue Elementary School, New York NY

Original Research by School Decision on Sixth Avenue Elementary School

Sixth Avenue Elementary occupies a mixed-use block in lower Manhattan, serving pre-K through fifth grade in one of New York City's most densely developed neighborhoods. The school's enrollment sits at a modest size for an urban elementary school, with pre-K and early grades represented and a tapering of enrollment in upper elementary. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is racially and ethnically diverse, with substantial representation from white, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students.

State testing data from spring 2025 shows solid proficiency across tested grades in English language arts and math. In third and fourth grades, the school achieves strong results; fourth-grade ELA performance stands above seventh grade levels. Fifth-grade ELA proficiency is especially high. Math proficiency across the three tested grades runs in a range that suggests some students are meeting grade-level benchmarks while others need additional support. Science, tested only in fifth grade, shows a notably lower proficiency rate than ELA and math in that cohort. These results place the school in the top quartile among schools in New York County on overall proficiency, though parents may want to look into the science result further, particularly what supports are available for that subject.

The school sits in the Financial District/Greenwich Village area, on Sixth Avenue in a neighborhood that has become increasingly residential alongside its historic commercial character. The surrounding blocks are mixed-use, with ground-floor retail, offices, and restaurants and apartments above. Like much of lower Manhattan, the area is highly walkable with immediate access to public transit. Housing values in the 10011 zip code are substantial, reflecting Manhattan's market, and have appreciated modestly year-over-year. Monthly rents in the area are also high.

New York City's recent overhaul of Gifted & Talented admissions, replacing standardized testing with teacher nominations and a lottery for kindergarten, affects families considering enrollment here and elsewhere in District 2. The process is now more competitive and luck-based, and incoming mayoral administrations have signaled ongoing changes to gifted programs, creating uncertainty for families planning ahead. For families in this neighborhood seeking elementary options, the school's location within the dense urban fabric means daily routines integrate school access with the broader streetscape and transit network rather than relying on dedicated school campuses.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 381%

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

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

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 79% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 578%

School 78% · District 78%

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

English language arts

Grade 383%

School 83% · District 80% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 485%

School 85% · District 78% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 596%

School 96% · District 81% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 67% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above 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 4Lower-income43%Higher-income94%51 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income100%Higher-income94%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income43%Higher-income82%39 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income83%Higher-income77%7 pp gap