Is Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker a good school?

Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker ranks in the bottom 13.9% of New York elementary schools.

How many students attend Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker?

In the 2023-24 school year, 199 students attended Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker.

What is the racial makeup of Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker?

Students at Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker are 65% African American, 28% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 2% White.

Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

Summary:

Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker is an elementary public magnet school in Brooklyn, New York, serving 202 students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the New York City Geographic District #13, which is ranked 624 out of 865 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker consistently ranks in the bottom 20% of New York elementary schools, with a statewide ranking between 1,700 and 2,400 out of around 2,400 schools. The school's performance on state assessments is significantly below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 22.22% of 3rd graders, 28.13% of 4th graders, and 40% of 5th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the district averages of 60.08%, 59.36%, and 53.95%, respectively. The school's math and science proficiency rates are also low, ranging from 19.23% to 34.62% for math and just 11.54% for 5th-grade science, compared to the district averages.

The nearby schools, such as Ps 44 Marcus Garvey, Ps 54 Samuel C Barnes, and Academy of Arts and Letters, generally perform better than Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker on state assessments, with higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math. However, these nearby schools also serve a high-needs student population. The charter school, Success Academy Charter School-Fort Greene, which is located a bit further away, significantly outperforms Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker and the other nearby schools, with proficiency rates often exceeding 80% in both English Language Arts and Math.

Detail:

Public, Magnet PK, KG-5

114 Kosciusko St
Brooklyn, NY 11216

(718) 857-9820

District: New York City Geographic District #13

SchoolDigger Rank:
2105^th of 2,445 New York Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $26,983

Student/teacher ratio: 9.2

Number of students: 199

Racial breakdown:

African American:

64.8%

Hispanic:

28.1%

Asian:

4.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 95%

See top rated New York elementary schools

Compare Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker ranks worse than 86.1% of elementary schools in New York. It also ranks 12^th among 18 ranked elementary schools in the New York City Geographic District #13. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 18.46. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (64.8%), Hispanic (28.1%), Asian (4.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 95% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker is 9.2, which is the 2^nd best among 18 elementary schools in the New York City Geographic District #13. (See more...)

Compare Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker employs 21.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker is $26,983, which is the 9^th highest among 18 elementary schools in the New York City Geographic District #13.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker:

SchoolDigger ranks Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker 2105^th of 2445 New York public elementary schools. (See Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

New York City Geographic District #13:

SchoolDigger ranks New York City Geographic District #13 624^th of 865 New York school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

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Rank History for all students at Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2006	9.67	2083^rd	2206	5.6%
2007	15.40	1953^rd	2219	12.0%
2008	19.08	1927^th	2227	13.5%
2009	20.03	1975^th	2257	12.5%
2010	20.76	1920^th	2263	15.2%
2011	11.80	2101^st	2286	8.1%
2012	12.67	2111^th	2320	9.0%
2013	26.12	1822^nd	2325	21.6%
2014	30.81	1691^st	2345	27.9%
2015	26.93	1778^th	2352	24.4%
2016	46.25	1276^th	2366	46.1%
2017	37.63	1509^th	2386	36.8%
2018	50.84	1179^th	2395	50.8%
2019	30.41	1712^th	2413	29.1%
2021	8.03	2091^st	2201	5.0%
2022	21.52	2000^th	2434	17.8%
2023	23.19	1952^nd	2439	20.0%
2024	18.46	2105^th	2445	13.9%

See the entire list of New York Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2022	35.73	652^nd	1027	36.5%
2023	33.43	702^nd	1001	29.9%
2024	42.30	534^th	1066	49.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	37.30	1189^th	1941	38.7%
2019	34.10	1191^st	1859	35.9%
2024	50.07	813^th	2110	61.5%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	55.32	200^th	570	64.9%
2024	24.75	640^th	766	16.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	42.87	1395^th	2338	40.3%
2019	24.99	1851^st	2357	21.5%
2022	26.27	1870^th	2401	22.1%
2023	32.78	1651^st	2403	31.3%
2024	25.15	1899^th	2413	21.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	57.11	980^th	2340	58.1%
2019	36.42	1512^th	2358	35.9%
2022	20.67	2037^th	2400	15.1%
2023	17.55	2107^th	2400	12.2%
2024	18.68	2111^th	2411	12.4%

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

Rank History for African American students at Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	71.11	203^rd	948	78.6%
2019	52.02	351^st	891	60.6%
2022	46.46	462^nd	936	50.6%
2023	51.69	364^th	857	57.5%
2024	36.98	575^th	927	38.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	23.92	1260^th	1503	16.2%

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

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Enrollment information for Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1989	0	663	1	176	0	n/a	n/a	840
1990	0	616	1	155	0	n/a	n/a	772
1991	2	566	3	171	0	n/a	n/a	742
1992	1	598	6	194	0	n/a	n/a	799
1993	0	596	2	162	0	n/a	n/a	760
1994	2	599	2	171	0	n/a	n/a	774
1995	2	564	7	163	3	n/a	n/a	739
1996	2	564	7	163	3	n/a	n/a	739
1997	4	595	5	158	5	n/a	n/a	767
1998	5	547	6	139	6	n/a	n/a	703
1999	5	554	3	141	4	n/a	n/a	707
2000	8	581	2	139	7	n/a	n/a	737
2001	3	594	2	133	9	n/a	n/a	741
2002	7	604	2	126	7	n/a	n/a	746
2003	7	604	2	126	7	n/a	n/a	746
2004	4	570	2	107	8	n/a	n/a	691
2005	3	474	2	84	7	n/a	n/a	570
2006	7	447	5	88	5	n/a	n/a	552
2007	6	333	5	80	4	n/a	n/a	428
2008	7	315	5	90	4	n/a	n/a	421
2009	8	294	7	75	2	n/a	n/a	386
2010	4	302	7	67	1	n/a	n/a	381
2011	4	301	5	88	0	0	0	398
2012	3	259	1	109	0	5	0	377
2013	2	273	3	111	0	6	0	395
2014	2	253	5	98	0	0	0	358
2015	2	238	6	82	0	0	0	328
2016	5	203	5	86	0	0	1	300
2017	6	184	3	66	0	2	0	261
2018	6	153	1	60	0	3	0	223
2019	6	172	1	64	1	2	0	246
2020	7	129	1	73	1	0	2	213
2021	6	111	3	77	0	0	1	198
2022	6	116	8	79	2	0	1	212
2023	3	125	8	64	1	0	1	202
2024	3	129	9	56	1	0	1	199

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 Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	840	49.0	17.1	n/a
1990	772	45.0	17.1	n/a
1991	742	45.0	16.4	n/a
1992	799	38.9	20.5	n/a
1993	760	41.0	18.5	n/a
1994	774	41.0	18.9	n/a
1995	739	37.0	20.0	n/a
1996	739	37.0	20.0	n/a
1997	767	41.0	18.7	94.9
1998	703	43.0	16.3	93.9
1999	707	45.0	15.7	90.1
2000	737	48.3	15.3	94
2001	741	52.5	14.1	91.2
2002	746	n/a	n/a	n/a
2003	746	n/a	n/a	n/a
2004	691	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	570	41.0	13.9	0
2006	552	43.0	12.8	83.7
2007	428	39.0	11.0	99.3
2008	421	29.0	14.5	83.4
2009	386	34.0	11.4	82.9
2010	381	33.0	11.5	n/a
2011	398	29.0	13.7	92.2
2012	377	28.0	13.4	92.3
2013	395	24.0	16.4	93.7
2014	358	26.0	13.7	90.2
2015	328	24.0	13.6	96
2016	300	23.0	13.0	95
2017	261	18.7	13.9	96.2
2018	223	18.0	12.3	97.3
2019	246	14.0	17.5	97.2
2020	213	17.0	12.5	94.8
2021	198	18.0	11.0	84.8
2022	212	17.0	12.4	84.4
2023	202	16.2	12.4	90.1
2024	199	21.6	9.2	95

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 Ps 256 Benjamin Banneker

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	840	49.0	17.1	n/a
1990	772	45.0	17.1	n/a
1991	742	45.0	16.4	n/a
1992	799	38.9	20.5	n/a
1993	760	41.0	18.5	n/a
1994	774	41.0	18.9	n/a
1995	739	37.0	20.0	n/a
1996	739	37.0	20.0	n/a
1997	767	41.0	18.7	94.9
1998	703	43.0	16.3	93.9
1999	707	45.0	15.7	90.1
2000	737	48.3	15.3	94
2001	741	52.5	14.1	91.2
2002	746	n/a	n/a	n/a
2003	746	n/a	n/a	n/a
2004	691	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	570	41.0	13.9	0
2006	552	43.0	12.8	83.7
2007	428	39.0	11.0	99.3
2008	421	29.0	14.5	83.4
2009	386	34.0	11.4	82.9
2010	381	33.0	11.5	n/a
2011	398	29.0	13.7	92.2
2012	377	28.0	13.4	92.3
2013	395	24.0	16.4	93.7
2014	358	26.0	13.7	90.2
2015	328	24.0	13.6	96
2016	300	23.0	13.0	95
2017	261	18.7	13.9	96.2
2018	223	18.0	12.3	97.3
2019	246	14.0	17.5	97.2
2020	213	17.0	12.5	94.8
2021	198	18.0	11.0	84.8
2022	212	17.0	12.4	84.4
2023	202	16.2	12.4	90.1
2024	199	21.6	9.2	95

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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