Top-decile elementary scores from non-elite schools: 5 case studies
The question
Which mid-need New York City elementary schools score at the very top of the city — and what's behind it?
Eleven New York City elementary schools serving mid-pack student populations (challenge groups 5-7 on the 1-10 scale) score at or above the 90th percentile citywide on the overall elementary-school measure. All eleven are zoned neighborhood schools; ten are in Bronx or Brooklyn. Concourse Village Elementary (Bronx, group 5) hits 100%; P.S. 96 Richard Rodgers (Bronx, group 6) hits 99%. These schools post outcomes typical of much higher-input schools while serving a more mixed-need student body, which makes them useful starting points for understanding what instructional and leadership practices travel.
Data analysis
Investigation run 2026-05-25.
TL;DR
Eleven NYC schools with student-body challenge groups 5-7 (middle of the range) post grade-5 elementary composite scores above the 90th citywide percentile. All 11 are zoned neighborhood schools. They're concentrated in Bronx and Brooklyn — none in Manhattan's wealthy belt. Most striking: Concourse Village Elementary (Bronx, challenge group 5) hits 100%. PS 96 Richard Rodgers (Bronx, challenge group 6) hits 99%. These are mid-poverty schools posting ceiling outcomes.
The 11 schools
| School | Borough | Proclivity | Admission | Elem % | City pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concourse Village Elementary | Bronx | 5 | ZONED | 100 | 100 |
| PS 96 Richard Rodgers | Bronx | 6 | ZONED | 99.4 | 99 |
| PS 40 George W. Carver | Brooklyn | 5 | ZONED | 98.9 | 99 |
| PS 244 Richard R. Green | Brooklyn | 6 | ZONED | 97.3 | 98 |
| PS 172 Beacon | Brooklyn | 6 | ZONED | 97.3 | 97 |
| PS 376 | Brooklyn | 5 | ZONED | 93.4 | 95 |
| PS 68 Bronx | Bronx | 5 | ZONED | 92.4 | 94 |
| PS 211 | Bronx | 7 | OPEN | 92 | 94 |
| PS 163 Bath Beach | Brooklyn | 7 | ZONED | 91.3 | 93 |
| PS 149 Danny Kaye | Brooklyn | 5 | ZONED | 91.1 | 93 |
| PS 249 The Caton | Brooklyn | 6 | ZONED | 90.2 | 92 |
Why this list is interesting
Group-1 and group-2 schools hitting 90%+ proficient are doing what the inputs predict; that doesn't tell us much about what they're adding instructionally (a separate question would need different measures to answer). Group 5-7 schools hitting 90%+ are scoring above what the inputs predict, which makes them useful starting points if the question is which practices travel across student bodies. The 11 schools on this list are zoned neighborhood schools serving mid-need populations and posting top outcomes — the closest thing to a reproducible pattern this data surfaces.
What they share
All but one is zoned — no special enrollment, the kids walked to school. Bronx + Brooklyn dominated (10 of 11). PS 96 Richard Rodgers and PS 211 are both in the Bronx — different districts but similar trajectory worth comparing side-by-side. Concourse Village Elementary (the only 100%) deserves a full case study; it's a Bronx zoned school serving a mid-poverty population with literally every kid testing proficient.
Caveats
Single-year snapshot. Confirm these schools are sustained 90%+ performers, not single-year flukes, by pulling their 3-5 year trajectory. PS 96 Richard Rodgers appears in multiple top lists (also fastest-improving), suggesting genuine improvement vs noise.
What's next
Profile Concourse Village Elementary + PS 96 Richard Rodgers as a pair — 'How do two Bronx zoned elementaries hit ceiling outcomes with normal-NYC kids?'
Methodology & replication recipe — the data sources, queries, and steps behind this analysis.