Ps 196, Bronx NY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 196

PS 196 is a public elementary school in the Bronx serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school sits in a neighborhood of dense residential blocks and commercial corridors typical of the South Bronx, within the larger Bronx growth context of substantial new affordable housing development and transit expansion.

The school's enrollment is small for the grade band, drawn almost entirely from the immediate neighborhood. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller populations of Black students and other groups. The school reports neither special education nor English learner enrollment data in the available records.

State testing results show proficiency well below the state midline across all tested grades and subjects. In mathematics, across third, fourth, and fifth grades, proficiency rates cluster in the low range. Fifth-grade English language arts performs somewhat higher but still modestly; grades three and four in ELA sit lower. Fifth-grade science proficiency is particularly low. The school's overall proficiency index across tested subjects places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Bronx County. High participation rates in state assessments indicate the data reflects the school's actual performance rather than incomplete testing.

The reason for these results does not appear in the provided data, so parents may want to look into this further with the school directly. What is clear from district information is that PS 196 is navigating significant curriculum changes. Starting this fall (2026), all elementary schools in District 12, including PS 196, must shift to Illustrative Mathematics for the first time. The district moved to a mandated reading program, Into Reading, in 2023. These are lasting structural changes to how reading and math are taught, part of a citywide literacy and numeracy push. Understanding how the school is implementing these changes and where it stands in that transition could matter for families choosing between schools.

The Bronx itself is in active transition. The neighborhood around Ward Avenue mixes apartment buildings with smaller commercial uses, and the borough as a whole is experiencing significant new housing development and planned Metro-North service expansion. Home values and rents in the school's zip code are moderate for the metro area, and the neighborhood remains largely working-class and immigrant-centered, with strong ties to health care, service, and industrial employment. Walkability is good, with subway access and bus service close by.

PS 196 is not a school known for specialized programs or selective enrollment. It is a neighborhood school serving its block and the blocks around it. For families seeking a traditional public elementary without application or screening, the school is available. For families whose primary concern is academic proficiency measured by state testing, the data suggests this school would warrant careful consideration relative to other options in the district or nearby.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 44% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 428%

School 28% · District 41% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 36% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 36% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 38% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 43% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 23% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 581%

School 81% · district not reported

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #12, 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 4Lower-income26%Higher-income83%57 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income50%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income57%31 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income32%Higher-income33%1 pp gap