Ps 83 Luis Munoz Rivera, New York NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 83 Luis Munoz Rivera

PS 83 Luis Munoz Rivera is a small public elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in East Harlem. The school enrolls a small student body drawn almost entirely from its immediate neighborhood, with a student population that is predominantly Latino, alongside a smaller number of Black and Asian students. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the East Harlem community the school serves.

State testing data from spring 2025 shows mixed performance across the grade band. In third grade, the school demonstrated strength in both math and English language arts, with solid majorities of students meeting proficiency. Fourth grade saw a notable dip in both subjects, with math proficiency at about three in five students and ELA slightly above two in three. By fifth grade, results recovered considerably, particularly in math, where more than four in five students reached proficiency; ELA in fifth grade held around three in four. Science testing, available only for fifth grade, showed about seven in ten students proficient. Overall, the school's tested results position it in the top quartile for proficiency among the county's public school districts, an indication that despite serving a neighborhood with very high rates of economic need, the school is achieving stronger academic outcomes than many peers.

One note on the data: participation rates on state assessments dip noticeably in the lower grades, with third-grade ELA showing just over half of the cohort tested and third-grade math at fifty-seven percent. Parents may want to look into this further with the school, as participation gaps in early grades can reflect absences or testing logistics, and understanding the reason may matter for gauging the full picture of student performance.

The school operates within New York City Geographic District 4, which encompasses East Harlem. In the 2024-25 school year, all District 4 elementary schools, including PS 83, were required to implement NYC Reads, a citywide mandate that replaced the prior "balanced literacy" model with one of three pre-approved, phonics-based reading curricula. This is a substantial change to how every young child in the school is taught to read, and it is now in place.

The housing market in the 10029 zip code where the school is located shows home values above the state benchmark and rents that have risen modestly in the past year. The neighborhood is dense and walkable, typical of Manhattan, with schools embedded within the neighborhood block structure rather than on separate campuses. The broader East Harlem area has experienced growth and rezoning in recent years, bringing new residential construction alongside established residential and commercial corridors. Families commute via the subway and on foot; the area is well-served by public transit.

The school fits families seeking a neighborhood public elementary school in a dense, diverse urban setting where nearly all peers navigate similar economic circumstances and the school has demonstrated academic performance that outpaces many larger districts serving similar communities.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 393%

School 93% · District 46% · ▲ 46 pts above district

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

Grade 461%

School 61% · District 49% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 585%

School 85% · District 44% · ▲ 41 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 381%

School 81% · District 44% · ▲ 37 pts above district

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

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 52% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 577%

School 77% · District 52% · ▲ 25 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 37% · ▲ 35 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 597%

School 97% · district not reported

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

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT # 4, 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 6Lower-income59%Higher-income20%39 pp gap