Ps 247, Brooklyn NY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 247

PS 247 sits on 21st Avenue in the Borough Park area of Brooklyn, serving kindergarten through fifth grade within NYC Geographic District 20. It is a mid-to-large elementary school by New York City standards, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across its grade levels.

The school's academic results are a genuine strength. On the New York State Testing Program, math proficiency across the tested grades runs from the upper-seventies to the upper-eighties, with third grade producing the strongest result. ELA proficiency holds steadily in the mid-to-upper seventies across all three tested grades, a notably consistent pattern. Fifth-grade science proficiency lands in the low sixties, which is lower than the math and ELA results and worth a follow-up conversation with the school. Relative to districts in Kings County, PS 247's overall proficiency index sits in the top quartile, a meaningful position in a county with over a hundred districts. Trend data was not available in what was provided, so whether these results represent improvement, stability, or a recent dip cannot be assessed here.

The student body is predominantly Asian, with white students making up a substantial secondary share and Hispanic students representing a meaningful portion as well. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, meaning the school serves a predominantly lower-income population while posting proficiency rates well above county midpoints. Data on students with IEPs and English learners was not reported in the available data, so families with children in those categories should ask the school directly about those supports and programs.

Participation rates on state testing are high across the board, which strengthens confidence that the proficiency figures reflect most of the school's students rather than a selective subset.

Within District 20 more broadly, families thinking about the path beyond fifth grade should be aware of something publicly reported and actively debated: District 20 dramatically expanded the number of academically screened middle school programs in recent years, becoming the city's leading district for selective screening. This shapes the competitive landscape for middle school admissions and is a factor families weigh well before fifth grade ends. Separately, three new schools opened in the district in fall 2024 to address what officials have described as severe, long-standing overcrowding, adding both elementary and middle school seats. The district has also projected a continued shortfall of elementary capacity relative to demand over the coming years, so class sizes and school availability remain live questions for families considering the neighborhood.

The housing market around PS 247's zip code is expensive and rising. Home values run well above the statewide benchmark and far above the national benchmark, and have appreciated meaningfully over the past year. Rents have increased at an even faster pace year over year. Borough Park and the surrounding Southwest Brooklyn neighborhoods offer dense residential blocks with active retail corridors along major avenues, walkable access to daily needs, and subway connections to the rest of the city. The broader Brooklyn borough is in a sustained housing construction cycle, particularly in downtown areas, though the immediate neighborhood around the school is more established residential than a development frontier.

For families arriving in kindergarten, the academic signal here is clear and positive. The path to middle school involves a competitive screening process that starts to matter around third or fourth grade, and parents who want to understand how that works will find the district's recent policy changes worth researching before enrollment decisions are locked in.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 386%

School 86% · District 75% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 74% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 577%

School 77% · District 71% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 375%

School 75% · District 67% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 67% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 69% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Science

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 58% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 585%

School 85% · district not reported

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #20, 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-income74%Higher-income82%8 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income74%Higher-income86%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income73%Higher-income83%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income87%Higher-income86%0 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income76%Higher-income83%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income73%Higher-income88%15 pp gap