Ps 291, Bronx NY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 291

PS 291 serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the northwestern Bronx, in a neighborhood where housing values have risen and new affordable development is underway. The school enrolls a small population with a very high share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Nearly all students are Hispanic, with a small number of Black and Asian students and a handful of others. The demographic and economic profile is consistent with the immediate neighborhood; the locale brief notes that the Bronx mixes dense urban corridors with quieter residential pockets, and that walkability is high along major commercial spines.

On state assessments in math and English language arts, PS 291 sits above the middle point among the county's districts. In math, third-grade proficiency runs higher than fourth or fifth grade, a pattern common in elementary schools where older students encounter more abstract material. Fifth-grade English language arts proficiency is the strongest showing across the school's tested grades, while third and fourth grade show lower rates. Science proficiency at fifth grade is notably low, with fewer than one third of students meeting the state standard; a parent may want to look into further with the school what science instruction and resources look like and whether the school has plans to strengthen that area.

The school's test participation is high across all subjects and grades, which means the proficiency figures represent a genuine picture of most of the student body, not a subset. The enrollment is stable and small for its grade band, with slightly more students in the upper grades than the lower ones.

The school sits within a district experiencing significant change. Under the city's NYC Reads literacy mandate, all K-5 schools in the district, including PS 291, were required to adopt one of three approved phonics-based reading curriculums, implemented during the 2024-25 school year. This represents a major shift from prior practice and is a long-term curriculum change families would want to understand. Additionally, the district has lost enrollment overall and carries excess seat capacity, though the new citywide admissions rules that removed district boundaries for middle schools may reshape enrollment patterns going forward. Academic screening for selective high school admissions has been reinstated citywide, meaning competition for top schools will intensify.

The Bronx itself is in a pronounced growth phase, with substantial new affordable housing development underway, including waterfront projects like Fordham Landing South and multiphase developments in Melrose and elsewhere. Montefiore Medical Center is the largest employer in the borough. Transit is dense, with multiple subway lines and upcoming Penn Access Metro-North stations. Parks and cultural institutions, including the Bronx Zoo and Botanical Garden, are significant civic anchors. The neighborhood around PS 291 offers walkability and access to local commercial streets and transit.

The data provided did not include information on the school's special education or English learner enrollment, staffing, curriculum offerings beyond reading, or attendance and discipline patterns. The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate applies.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 46% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 45% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 41% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 351%

School 51% · District 43% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 44% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 47% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 31% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #10, 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.