Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker, Brooklyn NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

PS 256 Benjamin Banneker is a small elementary school serving pre-K through fifth grade in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood. The school serves a student body that is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with an enrollment drawn heavily from low-income families. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the families the school serves.

The school's recent state test results show proficiency rates well below the midpoint among other elementary schools in Kings County. In both English language arts and math, across grades three through five, proficiency rates run in the low to mid-range, roughly half or less of what peer schools in the county achieve on average. Science proficiency is particularly low. These results suggest students are not yet meeting grade-level standards in core subjects at rates the school would want to see, and a parent may want to discuss with school leadership what support is being provided to address these gaps and what classroom practices are in place to move students forward.

The school's small size is a defining feature. Enrollment sits at roughly two hundred students across seven grade levels, creating a tight, intimate learning environment where staff likely know families and children well. Grade-level cohorts are correspondingly small, with classes in the mid-twenties. This scale allows for personalized attention but may also limit the breadth of programming, enrichment options, or specialized staff that larger schools can offer.

Brooklyn itself is a dense, highly walkable urban borough with extensive transit, a wide range of neighborhoods, and strong civic anchors including Prospect Park and a large library system. The neighborhood around the school is part of Williamsburg, an increasingly mixed-use area with a strong commercial corridor and steady housing development. The housing market in the zip code is expensive and rising; while the school's families are predominantly low-income, the surrounding area itself reflects Brooklyn's broader development trajectory.

District 13, to which the school belongs, has implemented several lasting structural changes in recent years. All middle schools in the district now use lottery-based, screen-free admissions with seats reserved for students from low-income families and those in temporary housing, removing academic screening entirely. For families with children currently at PS 256, this is the admissions pathway they will encounter as students move to middle school.

Enrollment data for special populations like students with disabilities or English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about what support services and specialized instruction are in place. The school appears to operate as a traditional public school with no charter or magnet designation. A visit to the school and conversation with the principal about curriculum, instruction, and intervention strategies for students not yet meeting standards would help families understand the academic environment more fully.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 71% · ▼ 41 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 64% · ▼ 44 pts below district

▼ 39 pts below state median · ▼ 47 pts below county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 53% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 72% · ▼ 45 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 37 pts below county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 68% · ▼ 45 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 63% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Science

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 47% · ▼ 35 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 571%

School 71% · district not reported

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

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #13, 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.