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Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon

Q: Is Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon a good school?

Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon ranks in the bottom 3.4% of New York elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon?

In the 2024-25 school year, 464 students attended Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon?

Students at Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon are 57% Hispanic, 31% African American, 5% Asian, 5% American Indian, 1% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon attend?

Students who attend Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon usually go on to attend: Middle : Hawtree Creek Middle School Middle : Junior High School 226 Virgil I Grisson

Public Grades PK, KG-5

2362^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,445 New York Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of New York elementary schools

Summary

Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon is an elementary school in South Ozone Park, New York, serving 412 students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the New York City Geographic District #27, which is ranked 571 out of 874 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon consistently performs below the district and state averages in English Language Arts and Math proficiency on the New York State Assessments. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 18.18% of 3rd graders, 34.09% of 4th graders, and 22.5% of 5th graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the district averages of 56.42%, 54.57%, and 55.9%, respectively. The school's math proficiency rates are also significantly lower than the district and state. Additionally, Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon has consistently ranked in the bottom 25% of New York elementary schools, with a ranking between 1,395 and 2,362 out of 2,201 to 2,445 schools over the past several years.

Despite the relatively high per-student spending at Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon, the school's academic performance remains significantly below the district and state averages. This suggests that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution to improving student outcomes, and that other factors, such as instructional quality, school leadership, and student and family engagement, may play a crucial role. Interestingly, there are several higher-performing elementary schools in the immediate vicinity of Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon, including Ps 123, Ps 96, and Ps 223 Lyndon B Johnson, as well as several magnet schools in the New York City Geographic District #28. Additionally, the data includes information on two nearby charter schools, Success Academy Charter School-South Jamaica and Rochdale Early Advantage Charter School, which generally outperform Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon and the surrounding district schools on academic measures.

464

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$32,999

Per pupil spending ?

89%

Free/discounted lunch ?

126-28 150th St
South Ozone Park, NY 11436

(718) 480-2500

District: New York City Geographic District #27

Students who attend Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon usually attend:

Middle:	Hawtree Creek Middle School
	Junior High School 226 Virgil I Grisson

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

56.9%

African American:

31.0%

Asian:

5.2%

See top rated New York elementary schools

Compare Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 27th percentile in 2015 → 3rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New York average (20% vs 55% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 24 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg55%

New York avg55%

2,362^nd of 2,445

New York public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 24 pts since 2015

From bottom 27% (2015) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New York Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

38^th of 38Elementary Schools in the New York City Geographic District #27

571^st of 874New York City Geographic District #27 among New York districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	7.1	2362 of 2445	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	2190 of 2445	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	2103 of 2439	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.0	1739 of 2434	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.1	1395 of 2201	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.8	1890 of 2413	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.3	1954 of 2395	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.1	2112 of 2386	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.1	2017 of 2366	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.1	1711 of 2352	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	27.5	1778 of 2345	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	44.2	1279 of 2325	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.8	1416 of 2320	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.3	1244 of 2286	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	51.5	1253 of 2263	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	44.3	1540 of 2257	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.2	1510 of 2227	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	25.0	1783 of 2219	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	22.4	1850 of 2206	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	30.7	662 of 928	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.4	473 of 927	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.7	565 of 857	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.5	475 of 936	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.7	445 of 891	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.9	431 of 948	54.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	18.7	1071 of 1117	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	1057 of 1066	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.8	866 of 1001	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	8.5	2315 of 2409	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.4	2120 of 2413	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	2126 of 2403	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.8	1692 of 2401	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.2	1787 of 2357	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.8	2050 of 2338	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	4.7	1560 of 1569	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	1463 of 1531	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	56.4	565 of 1503	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	20.7	1145 of 1315	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.3	946 of 1392	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	15.9	747 of 792	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.3	646 of 766	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.0	444 of 637	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.9	373 of 622	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.8	433 of 570	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.4	540 of 730	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	10.2	2034 of 2098	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.1	1671 of 2078	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.0	1466 of 2041	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.5	1110 of 2099	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.8	1325 of 1678	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.1	1590 of 2032	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.6	1518 of 2045	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	8.4	2317 of 2407	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	2219 of 2411	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.5	1950 of 2400	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.1	1718 of 2400	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	1856 of 2358	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.6	1702 of 2340	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	12.1	2125 of 2134	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	1506 of 2110	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.8	1702 of 2016	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.7	887 of 2031	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	24.8	1590 of 1859	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.8	1260 of 1941	35.1%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2025)29th percentile+25 vs school

Homeless (2025)6th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)4th percentile~ school

Female (2025)4th percentile~ school

Male (2025)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)1st percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2025)<1st percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs New York (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts25%-30 vs state

Math19%-39 vs state

Science13%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Regents Algebra I (2025)	NY State Assessments English Language Arts (2025)						NY State Assessments Math (2025)						NY State Assessments Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Regents Algebra I End of Course	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 3rd Grade	NY State Assessments Math 4th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 5th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 6th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 7th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Science 5th Grade	NY State Assessments Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon	Public	PK, KG-5	126-28 150th St	South Ozone Park	11436	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #27	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 480-2500	464	32	14.5	89.0%	2 (0.4%)	144 (31.0%)	264 (56.9%)	24 (5.2%)	22 (4.7%)	3 (0.6%)	5 (1.1%)	7.1	2362^nd of 2445 public elementary schools	3.4%		15.8	2190^th of 2445 public elementary schools	10.4%	172		18.2	34.1	22.5				13.7	34.6	7.8				13.5		$32,999	$2,752	$30,248
Ps 223 Lyndon B Johnson	Public	PK, KG-5	125-20 Sutphin Blvd	Jamaica	11436	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #27	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 558-2900	571	43	13.2	91.9%	15 (2.6%)	216 (37.8%)	234 (41.0%)	51 (8.9%)	43 (7.5%)	2 (0.4%)	10 (1.8%)	21.5	2038^th of 2445 public elementary schools	16.6%		12.6	2278^th of 2445 public elementary schools	6.8%	240		32.5	37.7	45.2				31.5	46.0	36.0				34.4		$34,931	$2,478	$32,453
Ps 123	Public	PK, KG-5	145-01 119th Ave	South Ozone Park	11436	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #27	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 529-4300	596	38	15.6	81.9%	14 (2.3%)	279 (46.8%)	113 (19.0%)	101 (16.9%)	55 (9.2%)	8 (1.3%)	26 (4.4%)	65.6	806^th of 2445 public elementary schools	67.0%		69.5	658^th of 2445 public elementary schools	73.1%	148		67.1	81.7	52.4				83.3	91.7	59.8				29.8		$34,123	$2,605	$31,518
Success Academy Charter School-South Jamaica	Public, Charter	K-4	120-27 141st St	Jamaica	11436	Queens County	Success Academy Charter School-South Jamaica	Yes	No	No	Yes	(718) 704-1441	553			72.0%	14 (2.5%)	321 (58.0%)	91 (16.5%)	78 (14.1%)	35 (6.3%)	4 (0.7%)	10 (1.8%)	97.1	24^th of 2445 public elementary schools	99.0%		96.6	51^st of 2445 public elementary schools	97.9%	27		96.6	94.1					98.9	99.0							$15,490	$00	$15,490
Rochdale Early Advantage Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	122-05 Smith St	Jamaica	11434	Queens County	Rochdale Early Advantage Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(718) 978-9975	433	31	14.0	65.4%	3 (0.7%)	385 (88.9%)	32 (7.4%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	51.2	1181^st of 2445 public elementary schools	51.7%		39	1485^th of 2445 public elementary schools	39.3%	304	80.0	52.3	60.4	56.0	65.3	81.3	77.1	75.0	60.4	42.9	42.0	70.2	87.2	31.3	74.5	$20,917	$1,023	$19,894
Jermaine L Green Stem Institute Of Queens (The)	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	126-10 Bedell St	Jamaica	11434	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #28	No	Yes	No	Yes	(718) 276-1348	526	47	11.2	81.4%	10 (1.9%)	368 (70.0%)	103 (19.6%)	15 (2.9%)	11 (2.1%)	2 (0.4%)	17 (3.2%)	50.1	1199^th of 2445 public elementary schools	51.0%		37.3	1530^th of 2445 public elementary schools	37.4%	331		52.0	50.9	54.7				72.6	67.9	60.3				27.3		$33,023	$2,027	$30,996
Ps 80 Thurgood Marshall Magnet School Of Multimedia (The)	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	171-05 137th Ave	Jamaica	11434	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #28	No	Yes	No	Yes	(718) 528-7070	363	29	12.6	88.7%	5 (1.4%)	264 (72.7%)	66 (18.2%)	11 (3.0%)	10 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	65.9	799^th of 2445 public elementary schools	67.3%		39.8	1461^st of 2445 public elementary schools	40.2%	662		76.0	58.3	71.9				80.8	69.4	59.5				38.2		$35,589	$2,325	$33,263
Ps 96	Public	PK, KG-5	130-01 Rockaway Blvd	South Ozone Park	11420	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #27	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 529-2547	310	19	16.3	85.2%	15 (4.8%)	50 (16.1%)	54 (17.4%)	118 (38.1%)	63 (20.3%)	5 (1.6%)	5 (1.6%)	79.4	440^th of 2445 public elementary schools	82.0%		79.3	444^th of 2445 public elementary schools	81.8%	4		71.7	80.5	69.2				84.8	76.2	66.7				55.3		$26,071	$1,979	$24,092
Ps 140 Edward K Ellington	Public, Magnet	K-5	116-01 166th St	Jamaica	11434	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #28	No	Yes	No	Yes	(718) 657-4760	270	29	9.3	88.5%	1 (0.4%)	142 (52.6%)	72 (26.7%)	43 (15.9%)	11 (4.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	61.6	903^rd of 2445 public elementary schools	63.1%		57.3	969^th of 2445 public elementary schools	60.4%	66		81.1	81.1	56.8				67.6	83.8	47.4				18.9		$33,100	$3,270	$29,830
Ps 155	Public	PK, KG-5	130-02 115th Ave	South Ozone Park	11420	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #27	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 558-1310	497	31	15.9	79.7%	8 (1.6%)	81 (16.3%)	86 (17.3%)	254 (51.1%)	53 (10.7%)	9 (1.8%)	6 (1.2%)	86.5	268^th of 2445 public elementary schools	89.0%		78.9	454^th of 2445 public elementary schools	81.4%	186		84.6	91.5	79.6				92.5	91.3	71.1				50.0		$28,727	$2,090	$26,637

Frequently Asked Questions about Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon

How many students attend Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon?

In the 2024-25 school year, 464 students attended Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon.

What schools do graduates of Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon attend?

Students who attend Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hawtree Creek Middle School
Middle : Junior High School 226 Virgil I Grisson

What district is Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon in?

New York City Geographic District #27

What is the racial makeup of Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon?

Students at Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon are 57% Hispanic, 31% African American, 5% Asian, 5% American Indian, 1% Two or more races.

Is Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon a good school?

Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon ranks in the bottom 3.4% of New York elementary schools.

Rate Ps 45 Clarence Witherspoon!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the WNYC and the New York State Department of Health and the NY State Education Department.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.