Ps 149 Sojourner Truth, New York NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 149 Sojourner Truth

PS 149 Sojourner Truth is a public elementary and middle school serving pre-K through eighth grade on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The school has a small to modest enrollment and serves a population that is nearly entirely economically disadvantaged, with a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with smaller representation of Asian and white students. No data on students with disabilities or English learners was available.

The school's academic profile shows uneven performance across grades and subjects. In the early elementary grades (three and four), math proficiency is relatively higher. Fourth-grade math shows solid achievement, while third-grade math is just above that. English language arts trails math across the same grades; third-grade ELA is notably lower than third-grade math. By fifth grade, a sharp decline appears in both subjects. Fifth-grade math proficiency drops to roughly half, and ELA sits slightly below that. The steepest challenge emerges at sixth grade, where both math and ELA proficiency fall dramatically, to very low rates. Seventh grade shows some recovery, particularly in math, while eighth grade performance is mixed: math rebounds to near the fifth-grade level, but ELA remains weak. Science proficiency, measured only in fifth and eighth grades, is low in both years.

Across the tested subject areas and grade levels, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile compared to other schools in New York County. State-testing participation rates are generally high in the upper elementary and middle grades, which means these results reflect actual student performance rather than data gaps.

The school sits in an urban Manhattan location at the corner of West 117th Street and is embedded within the Harlem neighborhood rather than occupying a separate campus. The surrounding area is mixed-use dense urban fabric, with residential buildings, street-level retail, and heavy pedestrian and vehicular activity. New York City's public transit network is extensive; the nearest major subway stations and bus lines serve the school's location. Housing values in the ZIP code are well above both state and national benchmarks, reflecting Manhattan's real-estate market, though rents have been trending modestly upward. The neighborhood anchors include public parks, libraries, and the subway system, all of which are accessible by foot.

District 3, which oversees this school, has made major changes to middle school admissions in recent years. Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, all District 3 middle schools moved to a lottery system, removing academic screening, and the district also reserves a quarter of seats at each middle school for low-income and lower-performing students. For families considering this school's middle grades, these changes reshape which middle schools are accessible and how entry works. The district also completed a contentious process in April 2026 involving proposals to close or relocate several Upper West Side schools; those proposals were ultimately withdrawn after sustained community opposition, but the episode left open questions about school stability.

For families weighing this school, the central consideration is academic performance. The data shows this school is significantly below its county peers in overall proficiency, with particular challenges in the upper elementary and middle grades. The sixth-grade proficiency rates are especially concerning and a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what supports are in place and whether there are patterns or interventions the school has identified. Early elementary grades show more strength, and eighth-grade math recovery suggests some students regain momentum, but the overall trajectory suggests this is a school where students face academic headwinds. The school's location is urban and transit-accessible, and it serves a deeply economically disadvantaged community. For families prioritizing academic achievement and strong state testing results, this school's performance data would warrant careful examination against other district options.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 73% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 71% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 65% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 612%

School 12% · District 61% · ▼ 49 pts below district

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

Grade 765%

School 65% · District 70% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 50% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 69 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 71% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 70% · ▼ 31 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 73% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 66% · ▼ 57 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 70% · ▼ 23 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 68% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Science

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 60% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 39% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 565%

School 65% · district not reported

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 812%

School 12% · district not reported

▼ 66 pts below state median · ▼ 43 pts below county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT # 3, 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.