The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in Science. The lowest is 55% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Ps 226
PS 226 is a small public elementary school in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx that serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school sits in a dense urban neighborhood anchored by commercial and civic corridors, within walking distance of the Hub's shops and restaurants and near subway transit that feeds into Manhattan. The student body is substantially Hispanic, with most students coming from families experiencing economic hardship; a large majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
The school's recent state testing results show uneven but genuine progress across its upper grades. In third-grade math, about three in five students reached proficiency, with similar performance in fifth grade. Fourth-grade math is a softer spot, with about half meeting the standard. English language arts performance varies more sharply by grade. Third grade scored considerably lower, with only about one in three meeting proficiency, while fourth grade rebounded to just over half, and fifth grade climbed further to roughly seven in ten. Science proficiency in fifth grade, the only grade tested, sits around six in ten. These results reflect a school where some students are building strong skills and others lag further behind, with momentum building as children progress through the upper grades. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quarter relative to other districts in Bronx County, a meaningful position in a large, under-resourced borough.
PS 226 operates within New York City Geographic District 10, which this year implemented the city's NYC Reads literacy mandate. All elementary schools in the district now use one of three approved, phonics-based reading curricula, a major shift from the prior approach. This district-wide change to reading instruction started in the school year just concluded and represents the kind of curriculum-level decision that affects how every child in the school learns to read and what happens in classrooms daily. Families with particular views on literacy pedagogy may want to look into what curriculum PS 226 selected and what the school's approach to reading instruction looks like in practice.
Enrollment at PS 226 is small for a New York City elementary school, with fewer than a few hundred students distributed across all seven grade levels from pre-K through fifth. The school does not report data on students with IEPs or English learners, so a parent seeking that information would need to contact the school directly. The neighborhood itself is in growth and transition. The Bronx as a whole is experiencing strong residential development, with major new affordable housing projects in the pipeline and heavy investment activity creating a more diverse housing stock. Medians home values in the Mott Haven zip code area have appreciated notably, and monthly rental costs remain substantially below the New York State average, making the neighborhood more accessible than many parts of the city while still reflecting the broader real estate market's upward pressure.
The wider district is experiencing enrollment decline, with projections showing continued excess capacity in elementary seats. That context shapes the competitive landscape for school choice within District 10 and the city, particularly as new policies let families apply more freely to schools across district lines. For families seeking a small, walkable school in an increasingly active neighborhood with reasonable housing costs and a developing commercial corridor, PS 226 offers a neighborhood anchor. For families seeking specific special-population supports or needing more granular data on peer composition, the school's publicly available information is limited, and direct outreach to the school would be warranted.
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