Ps 333 Manhattan School for Children, New York NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 333 Manhattan School for Children

PS 333 sits on West 93rd Street in Manhattan's Upper West Side, a K-8 public school serving a densely mixed neighborhood where apartment buildings, ground-floor retail, and tree-lined streets define the landscape. The school enrolls a mid-sized population spanning kindergarten through eighth grade, with a student body that reflects the area's economic and racial diversity. Just under half the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment runs roughly even between Hispanic and white students, with meaningful representation of Black students and multiracial families as well.

Academic performance at PS 333 shows a clear progression pattern. Third graders perform well in both math and English language arts, with strong majorities reaching proficiency. By fourth and fifth grade, performance drops noticeably, especially in math, where fourth grade shows middle-range results. From grade six onward, proficiency rates across both math and ELA dip further into the below-midpoint range. Science data in fifth grade sits near the midpoint. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among districts in New York County, though this aggregate masks the grade-by-grade volatility.

Participation rates in state testing decline as grades climb, a pattern that can reflect families choosing private or selective schools at the middle grades or differences in how the school administers assessments. The school's eighth grade shows particularly low test participation; no data reported for eighth grade math or science testing in the current year, which may reflect a change in testing practice, a transition cohort issue, or another operational reason that the school's own reporting would clarify.

District 3, which encompasses the Upper West Side, underwent substantial change in recent years. Middle school admissions shifted to a lottery without academic screens beginning in 2023, paired with a standing diversity plan reserving seats for lower-income and lower-performing students. That redrawn admissions landscape affects which families stay in the district versus choosing alternatives for the transition to middle school. Additionally, the Department of Education proposed but withdrew in spring 2026 controversial plans to close or relocate three district schools, including the middle school program at PS 333's building (the Manhattan School for Children). Those proposals, and their withdrawal, created uncertainty around the school's stability and middle school capacity that families would have weighed over the past year. That uncertainty appears now resolved, but families considering PS 333 should be aware of that recent episode.

The Upper West Side itself is highly walkable, with dense mixed-use blocks, robust public transit via the subway, parks, and street life integrated throughout. Median housing values in the 10025 zip code are substantially above both New York State and national benchmarks. Rents have risen at a pace exceeding the national average. The neighborhood draws major employment in finance, technology, professional services, and tourism, with tech expanding fastest. Schools here are embedded in neighborhood blocks rather than sited on suburban campuses.

PS 333's earlier grades perform solidly on state assessments, suggesting the school builds foundational skills effectively in the primary years. The shift in performance once students reach the upper elementary and middle grades is worth understanding directly with the school: whether it reflects shifts in curriculum design, changes in which students remain enrolled, testing conditions, or other factors. For families committed to staying in the public system through eighth grade and wanting a neighborhood-embedded school in a highly walkable, transit-rich setting, PS 333 offers a starting point. For families eyeing middle school performance or considering a longer academic arc, the grade-by-grade results warrant a close conversation with school leadership about curriculum, instructional support, and retention patterns.

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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	37	16.0%
Science	33	39.0%

Math

Grade 391%

School 91% · District 73% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 452%

School 52% · District 71% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 65% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 61% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 739%

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

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 50% · ▼ 50 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 387%

School 87% · District 71% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 70% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 73% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 66% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 70% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 68% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 60% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 39% · ▼ 39 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 588%

School 88% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 866%

School 66% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▲ 12 pts above 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income40%Higher-income96%56 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income69%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income59%Higher-income88%29 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income75%43 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income53%Higher-income83%31 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income43%Higher-income89%46 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income67%Higher-income96%30 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income29%Higher-income63%34 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income83%56 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income25%Higher-income63%38 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income50%14 pp gap