PS 254 ROSA PARKS SCHOOL (THE) vs PS 273

PS 273 holds a clear overall advantage, rating 8.6 out of 10 against PS 254 Rosa Parks School's 8.0 — a 0.6-point gap that translates into a meaningful state rank difference: PS 273 sits at #220 of 4,742 schools in New York, while PS 254 Rosa Parks School ranks #685 of 4,742. Both serve the same Richmond Hill neighborhood and sit just 0.3 miles apart, yet that ranking gap places PS 273 in roughly the top 5 percent statewide versus the top 15 percent for PS 254 Rosa Parks School.

On academic performance, PS 273 leads with an 8.7 out of 10 versus PS 254 Rosa Parks School's 8.2 — a half-point delta that reflects a consistent gap in measured proficiency. The growth picture is closer: PS 273 scores 9.8 out of 10 on growth while PS 254 Rosa Parks School scores 9.4 out of 10, both elite figures showing that students at each school make strong year-over-year gains relative to peers statewide. Families prioritizing academic ceiling will favor PS 273; families weighing growth trajectory will find PS 254 Rosa Parks School nearly equivalent.

Demographically, the two schools are similar but not identical. PS 254 Rosa Parks School enrolls 510 students compared to PS 273's 308 — a 66 percent larger population that may affect classroom feel and access to teachers. Student-teacher ratios are virtually indistinguishable at 11.9:1 for PS 254 Rosa Parks School and 11.8:1 for PS 273. Free and reduced lunch eligibility is 81 percent at PS 254 Rosa Parks School and 86 percent at PS 273, indicating PS 273 serves a modestly higher-need population while still achieving its stronger academic outcomes.

Both schools cover the same grade span — pre-kindergarten through fifth grade — so neither offers an earlier entry or extended elementary experience. The structural similarities make the rating and rank gap harder to attribute to demographic or programmatic structure alone; the 465-rank difference between PS 273 at #220 and PS 254 Rosa Parks School at #685 in a field of 4,742 New York schools reflects a genuine performance gap that parents should weigh directly.