P.S. 503: The School of Discovery: chronic absenteeism and attendance
20K503 · Elementary · 330 59 Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220 · Sunset Park West · District 20
28.1%
chronically absent in 2024-25
22.6%
District 20
32.8%
NYC elementary grades (Pre-K to 5)
In 2024-25, 169 of 602 students at P.S. 503: The School of Discovery missed 10 percent or more of the school year, 5.4 points higher than District 20 and 4.7 points lower than NYC elementary grades (Pre-K to 5). The rate rose 1.8 points from 2023-24, and was 15.0% in 2018-19, before the pandemic. The average attendance rate was 92.7%.
Chronic absenteeism and attendance by year
| Year | Bar chart of the school’s rate | Chronically absent | NYC | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 15.0% | 26.5% | 94.7% | |
| 2019-20 | 14.5% | 25.1% | 94.7% | |
| 2020-21 | 30.8% | 29.7% | 90.8% | |
| 2021-22 | 35.1% | 40.4% | 90.8% | |
| 2022-23 | 30.7% | 36.2% | 91.8% | |
| 2023-24 | 26.2% | 34.8% | 92.5% | |
| 2024-25 | 28.1% | 33.3% | 92.7% |
A dash means no published figure for that year. 2019-20 covers September to mid-March only, and 2020-21 included remote learning.
By grade, 2024-25
- K36.0%
- Grade 130.9%
- Grade 230.4%
- Grade 324.1%
- Grade 421.6%
- Grade 528.1%
By student group, 2024-25
| Student group | Students | Rate | Everyone else |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students with disabilities | 202 | 37.1% | 23.5% |
| English language learners | 366 | 29.0% | 26.7% |
| Students in poverty | 565 | 29.0% | 13.5% |
| Students in temporary housing | 166 | 34.3% | 25.7% |
Rates for small groups can swing a lot from year to year.
What moves this number
A personal call home on the first unexplained absence, a recorded reason for every absence, and a weekly attendance team meeting where every student gets an owner and a next step. Chancellor’s Regulation A-210 asks every NYC school for all three. BrainBridge makes them the easiest thing your team does each day.
Other District 20 schools
- High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology26.7%
- Joanne Seminara School of Law and Medicine27.6%
- New Utrecht High School31.1%
- P.S. 179 Kensington26.4%
- P.S. 192 - The Magnet School for Math and Science Inquiry25.0%
- P.S./I.S. 104 The Fort Hamilton School24.6%
- P.S./I.S. 30 Mary White Ovington27.8%
- School of Math, Science, and Healthy Living25.7%
Source: NYC Public Schools, End-of-Year Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism Data (2018-19 to 2024-25). Chronically absent means missing 10 percent or more of the days a student was enrolled, for any reason; it counts students enrolled at least 10 days who attended at least once. Group figures the city suppresses for privacy are left out. District figures include transfer schools.
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