PS 153 ADAM CLAYTON POWELL vs AMISTAD DUAL LANGUAGE SCHOOL

PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell and Amistad Dual Language School sit just 3.0 miles apart in New York City yet rank back-to-back among the state's best: PS 153 lands at #13 of 4,739 schools in New York and Amistad at #14 of 4,739, both earning an overall rating of 9.3/10. For parents weighing two genuinely elite options, the differences are narrow but meaningful depending on what a family prioritizes.

Academically, PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell edges Amistad Dual Language School by a single decimal point — 8.8 versus 8.7 out of 10 — a gap that is real but minimal in practical terms. Where neither school yields any ground is growth: both PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell and Amistad Dual Language School score a perfect 9.9/10 on the growth metric, meaning students at both schools make exceptional learning gains relative to peers statewide. Parents seeking strong academic trajectory have no losing choice here.

The clearest structural difference between the two schools is the student-teacher ratio. PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell carries a 11.4:1 ratio, while Amistad Dual Language School offers a notably smaller 9.6:1 — roughly two fewer students per teacher. Both schools serve high proportions of economically disadvantaged students: PS 153's free and reduced lunch rate is 89% versus Amistad's 84%, a 5-point gap that reflects slightly different community demographics within the same district. Enrollment is nearly identical at 389 and 393 students respectively.

The most consequential distinction for many families is grade span and program model. PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell serves grades PK through 5, making it a traditional elementary that transitions students out after fifth grade. Amistad Dual Language School runs from kindergarten through grade 8, keeping students in one building through middle school — and, as its name signals, delivers instruction through a dual-language model. Families seeking multilingual immersion and continuity through eighth grade will find a meaningfully different program at Amistad that PS 153 simply does not offer.