PS 316 ELIJAH STROUD vs PS 361 EAST FLATBUSH EARLY CHILDHOOD SCHOOL

PS 316 Elijah Stroud and PS 361 East Flatbush Early Childhood School sit 2.6 miles apart in Brooklyn and carry nearly identical overall ratings — 8.3/10 for PS 316 Elijah Stroud versus 8.2/10 for PS 361 East Flatbush Early Childhood School, a gap of just 0.1 points. State rank tells a similar story: PS 316 Elijah Stroud lands at #413 of 4,742 schools in New York while PS 361 East Flatbush Early Childhood School places at #515, putting both schools comfortably in the top 11% statewide. For parents fixated on overall standing, these two schools are functionally tied.

The academic and growth scores pull in opposite directions and reveal a meaningful split. PS 316 Elijah Stroud scores 8.0/10 on academics while PS 361 East Flatbush Early Childhood School scores 8.8/10 — a full 0.8-point academic advantage for PS 361. On growth, the gap widens further: PS 361 East Flatbush Early Childhood School earns a 9.9/10 growth score compared to PS 316 Elijah Stroud's 8.9/10, a difference of 1.0 full point. That combination — stronger academic proficiency and faster measured growth — is the clearest differentiator between the two schools on paper.

PS 316 Elijah Stroud enrolls 561 students compared to 364 at PS 361 East Flatbush Early Childhood School, making PS 316 roughly 54% larger. That scale also shows up in the student-teacher ratio: PS 316 runs 11.2 students per teacher versus 9.6 at PS 361, giving PS 361 noticeably smaller class sizes. The free and reduced-price lunch rates diverge sharply — 52% at PS 316 Elijah Stroud versus 90% at PS 361 East Flatbush Early Childhood School — reflecting meaningfully different socioeconomic communities within the same borough.

One structural difference matters for families with the youngest children: PS 316 Elijah Stroud begins at pre-kindergarten (PK), while PS 361 East Flatbush Early Childhood School starts at kindergarten (KG). Both schools serve through grade 5, so the difference is confined to the earliest entry point. Families seeking a public pre-K placement alongside their older children will find that option only at PS 316 Elijah Stroud.