PS 304 EARLY CHILDHOOD SCHOOL

511 Students

Elementary School Pre-K - 5th

School Overview

PS 304, also known as the Early Childhood School, is a public elementary school located in the Pelham Bay/Zerega area of the Bronx. Dedicated specifically to the foundational years of education, the school serves students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 2. Its focused mission is to provide a nurturing, age-appropriate environment where young children can develop the essential social, emotional, and academic building blocks necessary for long-term educational success.

The school is well-regarded for its intimate and community-oriented atmosphere, which is designed to ease the transition into the New York City public school system for its youngest learners. By concentrating exclusively on early childhood education, PS 304 tailors its curriculum, physical space, and teaching strategies to meet the unique developmental needs of early learners, emphasizing literacy, foundational math skills, and social-emotional growth through play-based and structured classroom instruction.

511

Total Students

34.8

Full-Time Teachers

14.7

Student/Teacher Ratio

82.8%

Free/Reduced Lunch

Student Demographics

Student Demographics Data Table

Student Demographics for PS 304 EARLY CHILDHOOD SCHOOL
Demographic	Student Count
White	51
Hispanic	371
Black	37
Asian	44
Two or More	4
American Indian	2
Pacific Islander	2

Hispanic
371 (72.6 %)
White
51 (10.0 %)
Asian
44 (8.6 %)
Black
37 (7.2 %)
Two or More
4 (0.8 %)
American Indian
2 (0.4 %)
Pacific Islander
2 (0.4 %)

School Location

School Details

Status:	Open
School Level:	Elementary School
School Type:	Regular School
Charter Status:*	Public Non-Charter
Virtual Instruction:	No virtual instruction
Shared Time Status:	No
District:	NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT # 8
Phone:	(718)822-5307
Grade Range:	Pre-K - 5th
Total Students:	511
Full-Time Teachers (FTE):	34.8
Pupil/Teacher Ratio:	14.7
NSLP Participation:¹	N/A
Qualified Free Lunch:	402
Qualified Reduced Lunch:	21

* Charter Schools: A public charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently under a legislative contract (or "charter") with a state, school district, or designated authorizing entity. Charters grant these schools greater operational flexibility over curriculum, staffing, and budgeting in exchange for strict accountability to achieve performance standards established in their charter agreement.

¹ National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children each school day based on household income thresholds or community eligibility options (CEO).

Title I Program Overview: Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal financial assistance to local educational agencies and public schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Grades Taught

Pre-Kindergarten 50

Kindergarten 72

Grade 1 89

Grade 2 81

Grade 3 76

Grade 4 70

Grade 5 72

Ungraded 1