The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in Math. The lowest is 45% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Ps 536
PS 536 sits on Archer Street in the Tremont section of the Bronx, serving children from pre-K through fifth grade within NYC Geographic District 12. Enrollment is modest for a New York City elementary school. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with Black and Asian students making up much of the remainder and very small shares of white and other groups. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which means this is a school anchored in a high-poverty community, and families considering it should understand that context shapes many aspects of daily school life. Data on English learner counts and students with IEPs was not available in the sources used here.
On the New York State assessments, the picture in math is relatively strong for a school serving this population. Third and fourth graders scored well above the majority of tested students statewide, with more than half reaching proficiency levels, and fifth grade math held at a solid rate as well. Placed against other schools tied to districts in Bronx County, PS 536 sits in the top quartile on the overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades. That is a meaningful position.
ELA is more uneven. Third and fifth grade ELA results were roughly comparable to the math figures, with about half of tested students reaching proficiency. Fourth grade ELA is the soft spot, where the share reaching proficiency dropped noticeably below the other grades and subjects. The tested group at that grade was also smaller, which can cause year-to-year swings in the data, but a parent would reasonably want to ask the school directly what is happening in fourth grade reading. Science at fifth grade came in below the math rates but in a range that is common for elementary schools serving similar communities.
Trend data was not available in the sources used here, so it is not possible to say whether results are improving, declining, or holding steady.
The district has made two lasting changes to curriculum that directly touch PS 536. Starting in fall 2023, the school adopted the "Into Reading" phonics-based program from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt under the NYC Reads literacy mandate, replacing the prior setup where individual schools chose their own reading approach. Beginning fall 2026, the school will shift to Illustrative Mathematics under the citywide NYC Solves elementary expansion, the first time the city has required elementary math teachers to change their instruction. These are not minor adjustments. Families enrolling now or in the coming year will see teachers working with relatively new materials, which can bring unevenness in implementation early on.
The surrounding neighborhood is a dense, walkable part of the Bronx, with transit access and the kind of street-level commercial life common throughout the borough's apartment corridors. The Bronx overall is in a period of active housing development, with a wave of affordable construction moving through multiple neighborhoods. Home prices in the zip code are currently around the statewide median and have climbed over the past year, and rents are in the mid-range for New York City, making this one of the more accessible parts of the city for families on moderate incomes.
No program offerings beyond the standard grade band were listed in the data available, and no details on extracurriculars, enrichment, or specialized supports were provided. A graduation rate does not apply here because the school does not serve high school grades. Chronic absenteeism data was also absent from the sources, which is a gap worth raising with the school given how strongly attendance predicts elementary outcomes.
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