Ps 146 Howard Beach, Howard Beach NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 146 Howard Beach

PS 146 Howard Beach is a small public elementary and middle school serving prekindergarten through eighth grade in a residential, working-class waterfront neighborhood in southwestern Queens. The school sits within the New York City public system's Geographic District 27 and enrolls a student body that is roughly evenly split between Hispanic and white families, with an Asian population of about one in eight students. A substantial majority of the school's enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The school does not have lottery-based enrollment or a magnet designation; it serves its neighborhood attendance zone.

Academically, PS 146's recent performance shows proficiency across the early elementary grades (third and fourth grade) in math and ELA in the 70-percent range, with comprehension and computation solidly above half. By fifth grade, proficiency begins to step down, settling into the 60-percent range for math and ELA by middle school. Science proficiency, measured in fifth grade, falls lower still, in the high 40s. Performance is most consistent in ELA and least consistent in science and upper-grade math. The school's proficiency index places it in the top quartile among the county's district-serving schools, a notable strength. That said, the trend toward softer performance in the upper grades is worth examining closely if your child will spend multiple years here; a parent may want to ask the school directly about supports for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders and what happens after eighth grade, since PS 146 does not house a high school.

The neighborhood context is stable and owner-occupied, with a waterfront character and a primary commercial spine along Cross Bay Boulevard. Schools are embedded in quiet, tree-lined residential blocks rather than in a central campus setting. The Howard Beach–JFK Airport subway station, served by the A train and AirTrain, is the civic anchor, connecting residents to the rest of the city and the airport. Housing prices are above the state median and have seen modest year-over-year growth, typical for a built-out, low-vacancy neighborhood with consistent demand.

At the district level, two significant curriculum changes now apply. All elementary schools, including grades K–5 at PS 146, must use one of three pre-approved phonics-based reading curricula under the NYC Reads mandate. All middle schools, including the seventh and eighth grades at PS 146, must choose from a pre-approved list of math curricula under the NYC Solves mandate, shifting math instruction toward conceptual understanding. These are lasting changes that replace the prior practice of schools choosing their own materials, and they shape how reading and math are taught district-wide. District 27 has experienced declining enrollment over recent years and has excess seat capacity, which can influence decisions about school utilization and co-locations.

Enrollment at PS 146 is stable and small for its grade band. The school offers no specialty programs or magnet themes documented here, and state testing data for eighth-grade math and science were suppressed due to small tested cohorts at that grade level. No data on chronic absenteeism, suspension and discipline, or staffing were available to assess. The school's website and parent communication practices were also not reviewed. If you are considering PS 146, it makes sense to visit the school, observe classrooms, and ask specifically about how the school supports students as they transition into middle grades and what the pathway looks like after eighth grade, since this is an all-through school that does not house grades 9–12.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Advanced Placement & IB

3 subjects offered · 2023-24

Each card is one AP or IB subject. The headline number is the share of students scoring 3 or higher on the exam — the threshold for college credit at most universities. The bar below each rate shows the underlying distribution across performance levels.

Score:12· no credit345· extremely well qualified

History and Social Sciences

Comparative Government and Politics

1 tested · HS

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Other

Literature and Comp

1 tested · HS

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

U S Government and Politics

1 tested · HS

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

New York Regents Exams

2 courses 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
Math	45	76.0%
Science	42	48.0%

Math

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 63% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 60% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 54% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 46% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 766%

School 66% · District 57% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 375%

School 75% · District 56% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

Grade 467%

School 67% · District 55% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 56% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 49% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 764%

School 64% · District 52% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 53% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 39% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 589%

School 89% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · district not reported

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

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #27, 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-income71%Higher-income83%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income82%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income61%Higher-income88%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income73%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income56%Higher-income78%22 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income62%Higher-income79%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income68%Higher-income83%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income64%Higher-income91%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income53%Higher-income71%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income57%Higher-income64%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income56%Higher-income83%27 pp gap