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What do students at IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO actually talk about outside of class?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,198
Middle
DISTRICT 1,125 · STATE 531
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #21·NCES 360015202792
IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO
8787 24TH AVE, BROOKLYN, NY 11214 · (718) 996-6706 · Kings County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,198 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 87% of New York public middle schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded New York public middle schools
Student : Teacher
13.1:1
92 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.1:1 · STATE 10.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
85%
1,018 students
DISTRICT 84% · STATE 58%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 368 | 31% |
| Grade 7 | 415 | 35% |
| Grade 8 | 413 | 34% |
| Ungraded | 2 | 0% |
Student demographics
70%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 74% · STATE 72% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NYS Assessments 2024-25 . % Proficient (Level 3 + Level 4)English Language Arts
56.0%
NY avg 58.3% . +1.0pp since 2023
Math
100.0%
NY avg 57.4% . +31.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the NYS Assessments, New York's statewide test, about 56 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 100 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all New York schools, those numbers are about 58 and 57. Reading and writing scores are up about 1 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 31 points.
NYS Assessments results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 56.0% | 100.0% |
| 2023-24 | 55.0% | 69.0% |
% Proficient (Level 3 + Level 4), all students and all tested grades.
Source: NYS Assessments. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of NY schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
66.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
43.7%
based on NY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+23.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 67% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 44% typical for New York schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 23 points, placing it in New York's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO
IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO's state test result (66.9% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO this school | 1,198 | 85.0% | 66.9% |
| JHS 62 DITMAS BROOKLYN | 857 | 91.8% | 57.3% |
| JHS 227 EDWARD B SHALLOW BROOKLYN | 1,327 | 88.8% | 65.9% |
| MS 137 AMERICA'S SCHOOL OF HEROES OZONE PARK | 1,610 | 82.5% | 57.7% |
| JHS 202 ROBERT H GODDARD OZONE PARK | 907 | 80.4% | 57.7% |
| IS 2 GEORGE L EGBERT STATEN ISLAND | 980 | 77.9% | 57.1% |
Matched among New York middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In New York | In Kings County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 66.9% | #176 of 766 | #21 of 91 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 100% | #5 of 768 ▲ 269 | #1 of 91 ▲ 27 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 56.0% | #250 of 768 ▼ 30 | #39 of 91 ▼ 4 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,198 | #42 of 796 | #9 of 102 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.1:1 | #612 of 683 | #53 of 67 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 70.2% | #56 of 688 | #10 of 68 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 85.0% | #195 of 773 | #57 of 92 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -10.7% | #299 of 524 | #39 of 56 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,198
+12 (+1%) vs 2020
-7% since 2010-11, when it was 1,290
Student : Teacher
13.1:1
was 13.5:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,198 | 91.8 | 13.1:1 | 85% (1,018) |
| 2023-24 | 1,232 | 93.5 | 13.2:1 | 87% (1,067) |
| 2022-23 | 1,164 | 89.9 | 12.9:1 | 85% (985) |
| 2020-21 | 1,186 | 88 | 13.5:1 | 82% (974) |
| 2017-18 | 1,341 | 83 | 16.2:1 | 87% (1,165) |
| 2015-16 | 1,159 | 71 | 16.3:1 | 80% (924) |
| 2010-11 | 1,290 | 87 | 14.8:1 | 80% (1,034) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO.
About IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO
IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO is a high-enrollment middle school found in BROOKLYN, New York. It serves 1,198 students in grades 6 through 8. For comparison, middle schools in New York average about 531 students.
The 40 schools of NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #21, including IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO, enroll 33,610 students.
Federal enrollment data show Asian students as the largest group at IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO, at 40%. Other reported shares: 28% Hispanic, 24% White, and 7% Black. Kings County's residents are about 12% Asian, 28 points below the school's share. Pick two students at random and there is a 70% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The school employs the equivalent of 91.8 full-time teachers, for a ratio of 13.1:1. That is 2.8 students per teacher above the 10.3:1 average for middle schools in New York. The free or reduced-price lunch rate at IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO is 85%.
allk12 grades IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO an A. The grade compares the school only with New York public middle schools, because each state gives its own test.
In New York, IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO is one of the top 10% of schools on BeatsExpectations, with an average proficiency rate on state tests of 66.9% compared with a predicted 43.7%.
Across Kings County, the median household income is $80,263, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 42% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 15%. Kings County is home to 583 public schools and about 291,697 public school students.
HEBREW LANGUAGE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL 2 is the closest public school, about 0.2 miles away in a straight line. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. Nearby schools with test data average 56.8% proficiency; IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO posts 66.9%.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is City: Large: inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, enrollment moved from 1,186 to 1,198, a small change.
Discussions about IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO may include science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Kings County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
2,631,580
Census ACS
Median income
$80,263
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
42%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
583
291,697 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #21
- EDWARD R MURROW HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 3,503 students
- ABRAHAM LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,210 students
- JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,209 students
- IS 228 DAVID A BOODYMiddle · 1,555 students
- IS 98 BAY ACADEMYMiddle · 1,435 students
- MARK TWAIN IS 239 FOR THE GIFTED AND TALENTEDMiddle · 1,295 students
Other schools in BROOKLYN
- BROOKLYN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 5,848 students
- FORT HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 4,044 students
- JAMES MADISON HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 3,983 students
- MIDWOOD HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 3,657 students
- EDWARD R MURROW HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 3,503 students
- FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 3,403 students
Nearby schools
- HEBREW LANGUAGE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL 20.2 mi · 335
- PS 101 VERRAZANO (THE)0.2 mi · 1,113
- LIFE ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL FOR FILM AND MUSIC0.4 mi · 198
- HIGH SCHOOL OF SPORTS MANAGEMENT0.4 mi · 385
- KINGSBOROUGH EARLY COLLEGE SCHOOL0.4 mi · 722
- LEADERS HIGH SCHOOL0.4 mi · 383
Frequently asked questions
About IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLAROHow many students attend IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO?
IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO enrolls approximately 1,198 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO serve?
IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO?
The student-to-teacher ratio at IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO is approximately 13.1:1 (92 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO?
At IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO, the student body is approximately 24% White, 28% Hispanic, 7% Black, 40% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO public or private?
IS 281 JOSEPH B CAVALLARO is a public K-12 school, overseen by NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #21.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.