Ps 5 Port Morris, Bronx NY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 5 Port Morris

PS 5 Port Morris is a neighborhood school serving pre-K through eighth grade in Port Morris, a historically industrial waterfront neighborhood in the South Bronx that is now undergoing substantial residential development. The school sits within New York City Geographic District 7, a region where the city's new phonics-focused reading curriculum (NYC Reads) reached all elementary classrooms in 2024, marking a shift away from balanced literacy toward science-of-reading methods.

The school enrolls a substantial share of students, with most grades represented from pre-K through eighth. The population is economically disadvantaged: an overwhelming majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially and ethnically, the enrollment is predominantly Hispanic, with a meaningful share of Black students and a very small number of Asian and white students. Data on special education and English learner populations were not available, so a parent may want to look into those enrollments directly with the school.

On state testing, the school shows a clear pattern: proficiency is stronger in the lower elementary grades and declines noticeably in the middle grades. In third and fourth grade mathematics, students perform around or slightly above the midpoint of achievement. By fifth grade, mathematics proficiency drops sharply, hovering around a quarter of students meeting standard through eighth grade. English language arts follows a similar arc. Third-grade ELA proficiency is in the mid-range, but fourth grade falls below that, and by sixth grade fewer than one in five students meet proficiency. Science results, available for fifth and eighth grades, show low proficiency as well. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint compared to other schools in Bronx County, but this reflects a trade-off: stronger elementary performance carries the school's average up, while middle-grade performance remains a clear soft spot.

This pattern is worth noting for families considering this school. Students who arrive for early elementary instruction may build stronger foundational skills; the school's third-grade numbers suggest some success there. But the sharp decline in fifth grade and beyond suggests the school faces challenges in sustaining or advancing reading and mathematics progress as students move into upper elementary and middle school. A parent considering the school may want to ask the administration directly about approaches to this transition and what support structures exist for students who fall below proficiency in the middle grades.

The neighborhood itself is changing. Port Morris has historically been industrial, but the area is now attracting significant residential development backed by state investment in affordable housing. The South Bronx Literacy Academy, the city's first public school serving students with dyslexia and reading disabilities, also opened in District 7, offering families a specialized alternative if their child needs intensive structured literacy instruction.

The school offers the grades and core instruction typical of a district elementary and middle school. State testing data documents these results; information on specific enrichment programs, arts offerings, special services, or other wraparound supports was not available, so families may want to request that directly from the school office.

Housing in the surrounding zip code has seen modest year-over-year appreciation, and rents are relatively modest compared to New York State and national benchmarks. Walkability in the South Bronx is high, with dense commercial and residential corridors and strong transit access via subway and the planned expansion of Metro-North to include new stations in nearby neighborhoods.

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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	10	40.0%

Math

Grade 368%

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

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

Grade 474%

School 74% · District 43% · ▲ 31 pts above district

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

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 39% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 29% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 38% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 32% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 46% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 39% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 47% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 29% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 36% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 39% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 22% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 26% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · even with county median

Social studies

Grade 563%

School 63% · district not reported

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

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT # 7, 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.