Ps 161 Pedro Albizu Campos, New York NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 161 Pedro Albizu Campos

PS 161 Pedro Albizu Campos is a public elementary and middle school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Manhattan's Upper West Side, near West 133rd Street. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic with a substantial Black population and serves a community where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Enrollment sits at a mid-sized level for a New York City elementary-middle school, with the upper grades (sixth, seventh, and eighth) representing the largest cohorts.

The school's academic profile shows areas of strength and areas where improvement is needed. In reading, performance is mixed by grade level. Fourth graders showed proficiency at about the midpoint, and third graders performed similarly. Fifth-grade reading proficiency was moderate. Sixth grade reading reached roughly midrange, while seventh and eighth grades fell to the lower end of the proficiency scale. Math results follow a similar pattern: sixth graders achieved proficiency at roughly the midpoint or slightly above, while other tested grades fell below that mark. Third and fourth graders showed proficiency in the low-to-mid range, fifth graders performed at the lower end, and eighth graders notably trailed other grades in math. Science proficiency in both tested grades (fifth and eighth) was low. Across all subjects, the school's overall proficiency profile positions it in the bottom quarter among New York County school districts. Test participation rates were generally adequate to strong in most grades and subjects, though eighth-grade math participation notably lagged at roughly seven in ten students.

A parent evaluating this school should understand that the academic outcomes reflect the challenges of serving a high-poverty, high-need student population in an urban setting. The school has particular strengths in some fourth-grade reading outcomes, but the broader pattern suggests students are struggling most with math and science by upper grades, and that eighth graders show the steepest performance gaps. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what interventions are in place for students below proficiency, how the school uses its time and resources, and what support exists for the grade-to-grade transitions where achievement dips.

New York City's recent curriculum mandates affect how reading and math are taught here. All elementary schools citywide, including PS 161, must now use one of three phonics-based reading programs approved by the city, replacing the prior principal-led model. Similarly, all middle schools are phasing into citywide-approved math curricula by fall 2027. These changes mean that if a student attends PS 161, the reading and math instruction will follow a standardized, science-based model rather than a school-designed approach.

The neighborhood context is highly urban and walkable. The school sits within dense Manhattan, where residents rely on subways, buses, and street-level pedestrian life rather than cars. The housing market in the broader 10027 zip code area reflects New York City's elevated costs, with home values and rents substantially above national benchmarks. The community is experiencing sustained growth in residential construction and development across the city, though permit activity has softened recently.

The school is a regular public school operated by NYC Public Schools' District 5, so it follows the district and citywide admissions rules. It is not selective and does not require entrance exams. The kindergarten through eighth configuration means families would need to plan for a secondary school transition after eighth grade. That transition occurs in a district where middle and high school admissions have recently shifted: families can now apply to middle schools citywide while keeping district priority, and high school choice is now unlimited rather than capped. For a family considering PS 161, these details matter because the school itself is a neighborhood school serving early grades through early adolescence, but the city's secondary options are broader and more competitive than they were before these recent reforms.

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Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

1 course 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	16	31.0%

Math

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 44% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 35% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 38% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 43% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 32% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 42% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 45% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 45% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 42% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 740%

School 40% · District 46% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 42% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Science

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 26%

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

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 27% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 575%

School 75% · district not reported

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

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT # 5, 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

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income40%Higher-income67%27 pp gap