The top reported proficiency rate is 96% in Social studies. The lowest is 39% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Ps 380 John Wayne Elementary
PS 380 John Wayne Elementary sits in Williamsburg-Greenpoint, an area of Brooklyn experiencing rapid residential growth and development alongside one of the city's most active real estate markets. The school serves early elementary through fifth grade and enrolls a predominantly Hispanic and Black student population, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The neighborhood itself is dense and walkable, with frequent transit access and mixed-use corridors that blend retail, dining, and residential blocks.
The school's recent math and English language arts results show uneven performance across grade levels. In third grade, students demonstrate solid proficiency in both math and ELA. Fourth grade shows a sharp decline, with proficiency dropping substantially in both subjects. By fifth grade, performance recovers somewhat, particularly in ELA, though math proficiency remains below where it was in third grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade is notably lower. These grade-to-grade swings suggest either cohort variation or possible instructional transitions between grades that may warrant closer examination. A parent considering the school might ask the leadership team directly about the fourth-grade dip and what supports exist to stabilize student progress across grades.
The overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places the school below the midpoint relative to other elementary schools in Kings County. This is a real gap; while the school has students reaching proficiency, the proportion doing so trails the typical elementary in the county.
Enrollment is stable at just under four hundred students, distributed relatively evenly across the grade band from pre-K through fifth grade. The school is a regular public school with no special designation, magnet program, or alternative mission; it serves neighborhood families in the traditional district model. The demographics reflect the surrounding community: a majority Hispanic enrollment with a substantial Black population, very few white or Asian students, and nearly all students from low-income families. A parent looking at PS 380 should expect a school that is firmly rooted in its neighborhood and likely serves many families for whom this is their assigned school rather than a chosen destination.
The New York City school system context shapes what families will encounter here. Starting in the 2021-22 academic year, the city eliminated middle school admissions screens, moving instead to lottery-based placement. A new state law also requires the city to phase in smaller class sizes, though the ramp-up extends through the late 2020s. More immediately relevant to the school's long-term stability: District 14, which includes this school, has experienced steep enrollment declines since the 2018-19 school year. This district-wide shrinkage has prompted the city to accelerate school mergers and consolidations, particularly in Brooklyn. While PS 380 remains open, a parent choosing the school should be aware that enrollment pressure in the district is real and could affect the school's trajectory.
Housing in the surrounding zip code is relatively expensive and has been appreciating steadily, reflecting Brooklyn's broader boom in new residential construction, especially in Downtown Brooklyn and Williamsburg. This mismatch between rising housing costs and a school population that is nearly entirely from low-income families tells a story of neighborhood change and demographic pressure that families moving to or already rooted in the area will live with directly.
The school operates within a large urban school district facing resource constraints. No gifted programs, advanced curricula, or special pathways appear in the data provided. The school's mission is to serve its neighborhood students in foundational academics from pre-K through fifth grade. Whether it is the right choice depends on whether a family is assigned here, whether they value a neighborhood school embedded in a walkable, transit-rich urban community, and whether they are comfortable with a school whose recent test results show room for improvement, particularly in the intermediate grades.
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