PS 78

PS 78 is one of the mid-tier primary schools in STATEN ISLAND, New York, part of NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #31, with 454 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5.

Across the 74 schools in NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #31 (56,577 students total), PS 78 accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, PS 78 reports that 50% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest consists of 41% Black, 5% White, 3% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 20% Hispanic, putting the school's mix considerably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, The school reports having 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 12.8:1, putting PS 78 tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 94% of students at PS 78 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is noticeably above Richmond County's rate of about 67%.

After controlling for student poverty, PS 78 performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 40.2%, the actual is 27.1%, a residual of -13.2 points.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Richmond County) shows that the typical household earns roughly $98,333 per year, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. In all, Richmond County runs 88 public schools (combined enrollment of about 62,254 students), of which PS 78 is one.

Nearest neighbor: EAGLE ACADEMY FOR YOUNG MEN OF STATEN ISLAND (THE), around 0.2 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around PS 78. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts PS 78 at 8th of 8; the average score across the group is 42.4%.

PS 78 operates from a downtown location.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at PS 78 has shrank 46%, going from 845 students in 2018 to 454 in 2025. Class-load math has narrowed: from 13.0:1 in 2018 to 11.7:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.