PS 198

PS 198 is an intimate K-5 school in BROOKLYN, New York, overseen by NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #22. The school teaches 327 students in grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 443 students per school, that is 26% smaller than typical.

PS 198 is one of 40 schools operated by NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #22, a district that teaches 30,207 students overall.

Looking at the student body, PS 198 logs that 76% of the student body identifies as Black. Beyond that, the school records 16% Hispanic, 4% Asian. By comparison, Kings County as a whole is about 28% Black, so the school skews noticeably more Black than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 14.6:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 12.8:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 86% of students at PS 198 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

After controlling for student poverty, PS 198 tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 43.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 50.4%.

In the broader community, Kings County reports that median household earnings sit near $80,263, roughly 42% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. PS 198 is one of 583 public schools in Kings County (combined enrollment of about 291,697 students).

Nearest neighbor: PS 109, around 0.2 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around PS 198. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), PS 198 ranks 4th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 51.8%.

The campus sits in a high-density setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 17%: 392 students in 2018 compared to 327 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 85% to 76% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 10.9:1 in 2018 to 14.6:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.