Jhs 278 Marine Park, Brooklyn NY

Original Research by School Decision on Jhs 278 Marine Park

JHS 278 Marine Park serves grades six through eight in the Marine Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, a densely populated marine borough where housing values and rental costs have grown substantially in recent years. The school's current student body numbers roughly in the low hundreds per grade, with a student population that is roughly equally split among Asian, Black, and white students, with smaller Hispanic and multiracial shares. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The most recent state testing data reveals a school working through significant academic challenges. In English language arts, the school shows its strongest performance at the seventh-grade level, where a majority of students reached proficiency. Sixth-grade ELA proficiency sits slightly below that mark, and eighth-grade ELA proficiency falls back somewhat as well, though remains near the halfway point. In mathematics, the picture is considerably weaker. Sixth-grade math proficiency stands well below half. Seventh grade performs better, reaching just above half; eighth grade drops sharply, to a point well below the third that reached proficiency. Test participation in eighth-grade math was substantially lower than in other grades and subjects, which a parent may want to look into further with the school. Science testing data for eighth grade was not available.

When compared against other schools in Kings County's districts, JHS 278's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. This suggests academic performance that falls notably below the typical school in the county and well below stronger performers.

The school is a regular public school within New York City Geographic District 22. No recent information was available about district-level strategic initiatives or specific changes that might affect the school. Data on English learner enrollment, students receiving special education services, teacher staffing, chronic absenteeism, and discipline were not available, so a prospective parent cannot assess those dimensions from the information at hand.

The neighborhood itself is walkable and well-served by transit, embedded in Brooklyn's dense urban fabric with ready access to parks, library branches, and commercial corridors. Brooklyn is in a period of substantial growth, with new housing construction at historic levels, particularly in nearby neighborhoods like Downtown Brooklyn and Williamsburg. Home values in the Marine Park zip code have appreciated modestly and remain moderately above the state average, though well below national benchmark levels. Rental costs have been rising more steeply in recent months.

For families considering this school, the most important conversation will likely be with the school itself about the drivers of the eighth-grade test-score drops and lower participation in eighth-grade math, what instruction and support look like across grade levels, and what pathway exists for students who arrive below grade level or who struggle with math.

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Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

3 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
Science	184	51.0%
Social Studies	98	76.0%
Math	97	76.0%

Math

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 49% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 58% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 52% · ▼ 27 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 53% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 759%

School 59% · District 55% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 55% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 43% · ▼ 43 pts below district

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

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #22, 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 6Lower-income49%Higher-income82%33 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income57%Higher-income66%8 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income52%Higher-income57%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income58%24 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income52%Higher-income52%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income26%Higher-income22%5 pp gap