Ps 31 William T Davis, Staten Island NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 31 William T Davis

PS 31 William T Davis is a small elementary school in Port Richmond on Staten Island's North Shore, serving prekindergarten through grade five. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with nearly all students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Class sizes run modest, especially in the upper grades where cohorts are smaller still.

State test results from the most recent year show proficiency rates that are below midpoint across both English language arts and math. In ELA, grade four performed notably better than grades three and five, with about half the students reaching proficiency; grades three and five fell closer to low four-tenths. Math proficiency was consistent across grades three through five, hovering in the low four-tenths. In science, tested at grade five only, proficiency was considerably lower, around one-fifth of students. These patterns suggest uneven performance across grades and significant academic support needs in science in particular. The school's fourth-grade ELA result stands out as its strongest; a parent may want to explore with the school what instructional approaches drive that relative strength and whether they are being scaled to other grades.

Participation rates in state testing were generally solid, ranging from roughly four-fifths to nine-tenths of enrolled students, which indicates consistent assessment administration. The school reported testing data only for current-year results; prior-year comparisons were not available, so trends over time cannot be tracked from the data provided.

The school is part of Geographic District 31, which covers all of Staten Island. The district faces a significant elementary school seat shortage, and new construction and school additions are underway across the borough to address capacity strain. This context matters for families: enrollment pressures may affect class assignments, rezoning decisions, and the overall student experience over the coming years.

Staten Island as a place is notably suburban for New York City, characterized by detached homes, quiet residential streets, and mature tree canopy, especially on the South Shore. The North Shore, where PS 31 sits, has more mixed commercial and residential character, with Port Richmond Avenue serving as a longstanding commercial hub. The borough's largest employment sectors are healthcare and retail, anchored by Staten Island University Hospital and the Staten Island Mall. Parks, library branches, and ferry and rail transit are civic anchors; the free Staten Island Ferry runs continuously to Lower Manhattan, and the network of parks, including the Staten Island Greenbelt, makes up roughly one-third of the borough's acreage. Growth is concentrated on the North Shore waterfront, where mixed-income development projects are underway, while much of the borough remains characterized by single-family neighborhoods and lower-density building patterns than other parts of the city.

For a family considering PS 31, the school offers a neighborhood elementary option with a diverse, predominantly low-income student population and modest class sizes. Academic performance, particularly in foundational math and science, warrants close attention and conversation with school staff about instructional support and family engagement pathways. The broader district context of seat shortages and ongoing construction reflects a borough in transition, with new housing and development that may reshape enrollment in coming years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 339%

School 39% · District 67% · ▼ 28 pts below district

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

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 65% · ▼ 26 pts below district

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

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 66% · ▼ 30 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 65% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 65% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 68% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 48% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 590%

School 90% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median · even with county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #31, 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.