PS 97

PS 97, a mid-sized elementary school in BRONX, New York, run under NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #11, works with 578 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 443 students per school, that is 30% larger than typical.

Within NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #11, which oversees 62 schools and 30,138 students, PS 97 is one campus in the system.

Demographically, PS 97 logs that the most-represented group is Hispanic (46%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. The remainder looks like 21% Asian, 16% Black, 13% White. By comparison, Bronx County as a whole is about 55% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably less Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, PS 97 reports 51 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.4:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 12.8:1 average. Around 84% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), PS 97 sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 43.9%; this one delivers 46.4%.

In the area at large, census data for Bronx County shows median household earnings sit near $48,676, about 22% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 23%. Across Bronx County's 472 public schools (combined enrollment of about 202,028 students), PS 97 is one campus in the mix.

PS 121 THROOP is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around PS 97. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts PS 97 at 6th of 9; the average score across the group is 62.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Looking at the recent track record. PS 97's enrollment has shrank 12% since 2018, when it stood at 659 (now 578). The Black share of enrollment declined from 27% to 16% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 13.2:1 in 2018 to 11.4:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.