PS 92 MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE vs PS 153 ADAM CLAYTON POWELL

PS 92 Mary McLeod Bethune and PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell sit 0.8 miles apart in New York and rank among the finest elementary schools in the state — but the gap between them is razor-thin. PS 92 Mary McLeod Bethune holds the edge at 9.4/10 versus PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell's 9.3/10, a difference of just 0.1 points. Both schools rank inside the top 15 of 4,739 schools statewide, with PS 92 Mary McLeod Bethune at #5 and PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell at #13 — an exceptional distinction for any neighborhood school, let alone two within the same mile.

Academically, the two schools are dead even: both PS 92 Mary McLeod Bethune and PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell score 8.8/10. Where PS 92 edges ahead is in growth, earning a perfect 10.0/10 compared to PS 153's already-strong 9.9/10. That 0.1-point growth gap is nearly imperceptible, but a perfect growth score means PS 92 Mary McLeod Bethune is pushing every student forward at a pace that ranks among the absolute best in New York State — not just meeting expectations but exceeding them year over year.

On enrollment and demographics, the schools diverge more noticeably. PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell serves 389 students — more than double PS 92 Mary McLeod Bethune's 170. Both schools maintain nearly identical student-teacher ratios (11.3:1 at PS 92 versus 11.4:1 at PS 153), meaning the intimacy of the classroom experience is comparable despite the size difference. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility stands at 98% at PS 92 Mary McLeod Bethune versus 89% at PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell, reflecting a higher concentration of economically disadvantaged families at PS 92 — and making its #5 statewide ranking all the more remarkable.

Both schools serve students in grades PK through 5, so neither offers a grade-span advantage for families with younger children entering prekindergarten or those looking to stay through fifth grade. The programs run parallel in structure; the deciding factors here are school size, community feel, and which building a family's child is zoned for.