Is James Weldon Johnson School a good school?

James Weldon Johnson School ranks in the bottom 11.6% of New York elementary schools.

How many students attend James Weldon Johnson School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 579 students attended James Weldon Johnson School.

What is the racial makeup of James Weldon Johnson School?

Students at James Weldon Johnson School are 80% Hispanic, 17% African American, 2% White.

James Weldon Johnson School

Summary:

James Weldon Johnson School is an elementary school serving grades PK-8 in New York City's New York City Geographic District # 4, with 526 students. However, the school has consistently performed below average compared to other New York elementary schools, receiving a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past decade.

The school's performance is particularly weak, with consistently low proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Regents exams across all grade levels. For example, in 2023-2024, only 17.02% of 3rd graders were proficient in ELA, compared to 42.73% in the district and 42.6% statewide. The school's struggles are especially pronounced for male students, English Language Learners, and students with low socioeconomic status, who rank in the bottom 10-20% of their peers statewide. Despite spending around $23,000 per student, which is higher than the district average, the school has not shown any sustained improvement over the past decade.

The data reveals a stark contrast between James Weldon Johnson School and the higher-achieving schools in the immediate vicinity, such as Tag Young Scholars and PS 83 Luis Munoz Rivera, which significantly outperform James Weldon Johnson across nearly all metrics. With an extremely high poverty rate, where over 91% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, the school appears to be struggling to meet the needs of its most vulnerable populations, suggesting potential resource allocation issues.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

176 E 115th St
New York, NY 10029-2097

(212) 876-5522

District: New York City Geographic District # 4

SchoolDigger Rank:
2162^nd of 2,445 New York Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $23,061

Student/teacher ratio: 11.9

Number of students: 579

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

79.6%

African American:

16.8%

White:

1.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 93.1%

See top rated New York elementary schools

Compare James Weldon Johnson School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details James Weldon Johnson School ranks worse than 88.4% of elementary schools in New York. It also ranks 11^th among 17 ranked elementary schools in the New York City Geographic District # 4. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 16.58. (See more...)

Compare Details James Weldon Johnson School ranks worse than 89.6% of middle schools in New York. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 16.91. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (79.6%), African American (16.8%), White (1.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 93.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at James Weldon Johnson School is 11.9. 10 elementary schools in the New York City Geographic District # 4 have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare James Weldon Johnson School employs 48.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at James Weldon Johnson School is $23,061. 13 elementary schools in the New York City Geographic District # 4 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

James Weldon Johnson School:

SchoolDigger ranks James Weldon Johnson School 2162^nd of 2445 New York public elementary schools. (See James Weldon Johnson School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

SchoolDigger ranks James Weldon Johnson School 1348^th of 1504 New York public middle schools. (See James Weldon Johnson School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

New York City Geographic District # 4:

SchoolDigger ranks New York City Geographic District # 4 671^st of 865 New York school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for James Weldon Johnson School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2006	26.88	1776^th	2206	19.5%
2007	28.32	1748^th	2219	21.2%
2008	45.46	1465^th	2227	34.2%
2009	53.06	1321^st	2257	41.5%
2010	59.01	1055^th	2263	53.4%
2011	58.04	1068^th	2286	53.3%
2012	55.74	1158^th	2320	50.1%
2013	50.51	1102^nd	2325	52.6%
2014	42.09	1380^th	2345	41.2%
2015	37.78	1506^th	2352	36.0%
2016	36.84	1547^th	2366	34.6%
2017	35.97	1554^th	2386	34.9%
2018	22.86	1963^rd	2395	18.0%
2019	19.28	2015^th	2413	16.5%
2021	34.26	1500^th	2201	31.8%
2022	25.53	1891^st	2434	22.3%
2023	22.63	1967^th	2439	19.4%
2024	16.58	2162^nd	2445	11.6%

See the entire list of New York Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school English Language Learner students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	22.28	865^th	938	7.8%
2019	41.73	427^th	860	50.3%
2022	38.92	597^th	1027	41.9%
2023	33.16	708^th	1001	29.3%
2024	18.65	1046^th	1066	1.9%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for elementary school Special Education students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	38.53	1133^rd	1941	41.6%
2019	32.58	1243^rd	1859	33.1%
2022	37.96	1197^th	2031	41.1%
2023	30.13	1442^nd	2016	28.5%
2024	37.71	1234^th	2110	41.5%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	30.61	1548^th	2045	24.3%
2019	26.86	1565^th	2032	23.0%
2023	29.09	1505^th	2041	26.3%
2024	24.27	1693^rd	2078	18.5%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Homeless students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	35.79	510^th	730	30.1%
2019	46.10	290^th	570	49.1%
2022	54.46	227^th	622	63.5%
2023	44.48	320^th	637	49.8%
2024	25.58	624^th	766	18.5%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	26.36	1859^th	2338	20.5%
2019	24.16	1876^th	2357	20.4%
2021	26.67	1527^th	1955	21.9%
2022	29.63	1772^nd	2401	26.2%
2023	27.26	1817^th	2403	24.4%
2024	22.35	1989^th	2413	17.6%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	21.46	1987^th	2340	15.1%
2019	17.37	2059^th	2358	12.7%
2021	38.27	1258^th	1961	35.8%
2022	22.33	1979^th	2400	17.5%
2023	21.23	1985^th	2400	17.3%
2024	13.80	2224^th	2411	7.8%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school African American students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	23.85	785^th	948	17.2%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	32.35	1006^th	1392	27.7%
2019	30.27	946^th	1315	28.1%
2021	69.69	197^th	818	75.9%
2022	38.87	929^th	1503	38.2%
2023	36.24	926^th	1429	35.2%
2024	21.95	1315^th	1531	14.1%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: NY State Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for James Weldon Johnson School

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Rank History for all middle school students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2006	29.68	825^th	1095	24.7%
2007	41.53	764^th	1123	32.0%
2008	55.95	670^th	1185	43.5%
2009	50.90	775^th	1224	36.7%
2010	61.83	547^th	1243	56.0%
2011	57.98	611^th	1295	52.8%
2012	66.82	474^th	1337	64.5%
2013	48.50	679^th	1373	50.5%
2014	48.19	684^th	1401	51.2%
2015	45.55	744^th	1407	47.1%
2016	39.25	865^th	1429	39.5%
2017	32.09	1005^th	1455	30.9%
2018	25.06	1129^th	1438	21.5%
2019	25.62	1106^th	1439	23.1%
2021	32.99	863^rd	1242	30.5%
2022	14.37	1351^st	1479	8.7%
2023	14.68	1379^th	1500	8.1%
2024	16.91	1348^th	1504	10.4%

See the entire list of New York Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school English Language Learner students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2022	41.04	307^th	581	47.2%
2023	22.85	563^rd	591	4.7%
2024	20.68	612^th	615	0.5%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for middle school Special Education students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	27.77	1002^nd	1170	14.4%
2019	33.96	758^th	1139	33.5%
2022	26.08	1101^st	1283	14.2%
2023	35.45	850^th	1307	35.0%
2024	42.12	676^th	1303	48.1%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	29.68	943^rd	1245	24.3%
2019	32.05	871^st	1241	29.8%
2022	16.51	1207^th	1306	7.6%
2023	16.82	1192^nd	1288	7.5%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Homeless students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	26.95	373^rd	457	18.4%
2019	53.46	142^nd	392	63.8%
2022	35.41	330^th	487	32.2%
2023	25.58	450^th	543	17.1%
2024	21.07	531^st	594	10.6%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	16.65	1225^th	1353	9.5%
2019	32.19	961^st	1370	29.9%
2021	29.07	819^th	1066	23.2%
2022	21.39	1227^th	1454	15.6%
2023	15.75	1332^nd	1463	9.0%
2024	20.15	1279^th	1465	12.7%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	36.10	878^th	1352	35.1%
2019	21.99	1135^th	1366	16.9%
2021	37.09	681^st	1071	36.4%
2022	10.80	1399^th	1455	3.8%
2023	15.35	1343^rd	1464	8.3%
2024	15.77	1332^nd	1464	9.0%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school African American students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	26.19	538^th	663	18.9%
2019	28.69	487^th	653	25.4%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at James Weldon Johnson School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	33.58	563^rd	810	30.5%
2019	38.94	484^th	826	41.4%
2021	31.53	315^th	449	29.8%
2022	27.63	712^th	914	22.1%
2023	24.72	785^th	943	16.8%
2024	21.70	823^rd	953	13.6%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: NY State Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: NY State Education Department

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Nice

Enrollment information for James Weldon Johnson School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	12	280	0	443	0	n/a	n/a	0	735
1990	7	274	0	469	0	n/a	n/a	0	750
1991	4	286	0	405	0	n/a	n/a	36	731
1992	2	302	3	415	0	n/a	n/a	0	722
1993	4	316	3	410	0	n/a	n/a	0	733
1994	4	318	2	418	2	n/a	n/a	0	744
1995	2	295	1	399	1	n/a	n/a	0	698
1996	2	295	1	399	1	n/a	n/a	0	698
1997	3	291	5	419	14	n/a	n/a	0	732
1998	1	281	8	474	20	n/a	n/a	0	784
1999	2	273	8	495	14	n/a	n/a	0	792
2000	6	254	16	486	16	n/a	n/a	0	778
2001	5	226	19	464	14	n/a	n/a	0	728
2002	3	210	24	463	19	n/a	n/a	0	719
2003	3	210	24	463	19	n/a	n/a	0	719
2004	4	178	17	464	14	n/a	n/a	0	677
2005	4	174	27	479	13	n/a	n/a	0	697
2006	5	171	31	505	13	n/a	n/a	0	725
2007	6	158	27	497	14	n/a	n/a	0	702
2008	11	162	33	492	8	n/a	n/a	0	706
2009	13	159	35	528	7	n/a	n/a	0	742
2010	12	176	36	524	6	n/a	n/a	0	754
2011	20	204	28	516	0	0	0	0	768
2012	13	202	27	533	2	0	1	0	778
2013	14	207	27	547	3	2	1	0	801
2014	19	216	29	573	2	0	1	0	840
2015	18	225	34	579	3	0	1	0	860
2016	19	220	34	572	4	0	3	0	852
2017	16	202	28	563	8	6	2	0	825
2018	14	206	25	544	6	5	3	0	803
2019	12	197	31	555	11	5	3	0	814
2020	9	150	31	487	10	1	2	0	690
2021	6	136	19	446	8	0	3	0	618
2022	5	128	15	399	5	0	2	0	554
2023	6	116	11	386	4	0	3	0	526
2024	9	97	5	461	4	0	3	0	579

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at James Weldon Johnson School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	735	38.9	18.8	n/a
1990	750	35.9	20.8	n/a
1991	731	39.9	18.3	n/a
1992	722	39.9	18.0	n/a
1993	733	44.9	16.3	n/a
1994	744	41.0	18.1	n/a
1995	698	36.1	19.3	n/a
1996	698	36.1	19.3	n/a
1997	732	38.8	18.9	94.9
1998	784	41.5	18.9	94.9
1999	792	45.0	17.6	94.3
2000	778	48.0	16.2	95.4
2001	728	56.9	12.8	94.6
2002	719	n/a	n/a	n/a
2003	719	n/a	n/a	n/a
2004	677	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	697	46.0	15.2	0
2006	725	54.0	13.4	87.6
2007	702	50.2	14.0	86.8
2008	706	51.0	13.8	90.8
2009	742	60.0	12.4	93.3
2010	754	57.0	13.2	n/a
2011	768	60.0	12.7	84.6
2012	778	56.0	13.8	84.7
2013	801	58.9	13.5	84.1
2014	840	62.9	13.3	95.7
2015	860	65.0	13.2	81.4
2016	852	69.0	12.3	82.4
2017	825	65.8	12.5	82.1
2018	803	65.0	12.3	88.8
2019	814	67.0	12.1	87.5
2020	690	59.8	11.5	91.6
2021	618	54.9	11.2	92.4
2022	554	52.5	10.5	93
2023	526	51.3	10.2	91.1
2024	579	48.3	11.9	93.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio James Weldon Johnson School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	735	38.9	18.8	n/a
1990	750	35.9	20.8	n/a
1991	731	39.9	18.3	n/a
1992	722	39.9	18.0	n/a
1993	733	44.9	16.3	n/a
1994	744	41.0	18.1	n/a
1995	698	36.1	19.3	n/a
1996	698	36.1	19.3	n/a
1997	732	38.8	18.9	94.9
1998	784	41.5	18.9	94.9
1999	792	45.0	17.6	94.3
2000	778	48.0	16.2	95.4
2001	728	56.9	12.8	94.6
2002	719	n/a	n/a	n/a
2003	719	n/a	n/a	n/a
2004	677	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	697	46.0	15.2	0
2006	725	54.0	13.4	87.6
2007	702	50.2	14.0	86.8
2008	706	51.0	13.8	90.8
2009	742	60.0	12.4	93.3
2010	754	57.0	13.2	n/a
2011	768	60.0	12.7	84.6
2012	778	56.0	13.8	84.7
2013	801	58.9	13.5	84.1
2014	840	62.9	13.3	95.7
2015	860	65.0	13.2	81.4
2016	852	69.0	12.3	82.4
2017	825	65.8	12.5	82.1
2018	803	65.0	12.3	88.8
2019	814	67.0	12.1	87.5
2020	690	59.8	11.5	91.6
2021	618	54.9	11.2	92.4
2022	554	52.5	10.5	93
2023	526	51.3	10.2	91.1
2024	579	48.3	11.9	93.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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