Ps 66, Brooklyn NY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 66

PS 66 is a district public school serving prekindergarten through eighth grade in Brooklyn's Canarsie neighborhood, on the eastern edge of the borough. It enrolls students across a wide span of ages in a setting where the school population is predominantly Black, with a substantial share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school's academic results show mixed performance. In math, proficiency rises from the mid-grade ranges in third through fifth grades to nearly seven-tenths in seventh grade, then drops to around half in eighth grade. In English language arts, the picture is more uneven: third grade performs in the low-to-mid range, fourth and fifth grades dip further, sixth grade reaches a low point below half, then seventh and eighth grades recover somewhat. Science results, limited to fifth and eighth grades, show considerable pressure: fifth grade achieves around one-third proficiency, while eighth grade has no tested result to report. These are not strong outcomes, and a parent would want to understand from the school what supports exist for students, particularly in the upper middle grades where proficiency declines.

The school sits among a group of districts in Kings County where it scores above the midpoint on overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. That positioning is meaningful context: it indicates the school is performing at a higher level than some of its county neighbors, even as absolute proficiency numbers remain modest.

PS 66 serves around half a thousand students across a full pre-K through eighth grade span, making it a mid-sized school for its grade configuration. The enrollment is stable, with reasonably balanced class sizes in the early grades and slightly larger cohorts in the middle grades. A substantial majority of the school's students come from low-income households, which shapes the school's resource constraints and the demographic makeup of the peer group.

The school is operating within the NYC Reads literacy mandate, which requires all elementary schools in District 18 to adopt one of three city-approved reading curriculums aligned with the science of reading. This represents a shift from the prior system in which principals chose their own materials. Middle grades will also transition to city-approved reading and math curriculums by fall 2027, bringing standardization to the school's math instruction as well. These mandates are district-wide and enduring; parents should expect curriculum consistency but also accept that the school's instructional approach is now set at the system level.

Data on staffing, attendance, school climate, and specialized services such as special education and English learner support were not available, limiting a full picture of the school's capacity to serve students with varied needs. A parent considering this school would benefit from asking directly about class size, teacher stability, tutoring or intervention programs, and how the school supports students who are struggling with math or reading.

The housing market in the 11236 zip code where the school is located shows moderate home values in the range typical for outer Brooklyn, with rents in the mid range for the borough. The neighborhood is residential and relatively quiet compared to more central Brooklyn, with longer transit times to Manhattan but served by local bus and subway access.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

1 course reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Science	64	28.0%

Math

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 74% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 467%

School 67% · District 58% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 567%

School 67% · District 61% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 45% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 770%

School 70% · District 55% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 55% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 64% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 54% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 60% · ▼ 5 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 49% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 759%

School 59% · District 56% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 54% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Science

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 33% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 39% · ▼ 39 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 580%

School 80% · district not reported

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

Grade 846%

School 46% · district not reported

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #18, 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 3Lower-income63%Higher-income67%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income55%Higher-income38%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income67%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income57%Higher-income64%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income59%Higher-income100%41 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income61%Higher-income100%39 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income67%Higher-income71%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income63%Higher-income78%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income70%Higher-income70%0 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income42%Higher-income79%37 pp gap