Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro

Public, Magnet Grades 6-8
385th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,500 New York Middle Schools
Better than 74% of New York middle schools
Summary

Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro is a public magnet middle school located in Brooklyn, New York, serving grades 6-8 with an enrollment of 1,232 students. This school consistently ranks among the top 25% of middle schools in New York, with strong academic performance, particularly in math and science.

Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro's academic excellence is evident in its statewide ranking, which has remained between 300-395 out of around 1,500 middle schools over the past 5 years. The school's performance on state assessments is generally higher than the New York City Geographic District #21 average and the statewide average, with over 70% of 7th and 8th graders proficient or better in math. The school also excels in Regents exams, with 100% proficiency in Algebra I and over 70% proficiency in Living Environment/Biology.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Is 98 Bay Academy and Mark Twain Is 239 For The Gifted And Talented, also demonstrate strong academic performance, suggesting that the Brooklyn area may have a concentration of high-performing public middle schools. Despite having a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro has been able to effectively serve its economically disadvantaged student population and maintain its consistent level of academic excellence over the years.

1,198
Students ?
13.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$30,008
Per pupil spending ?
85%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 8787 24th Ave
       Brooklyn, NY  11214-5309

(718) 996-6706

District: New York City Geographic District #21


Feeder schools for Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro:

Elementary:    Ps 101 Verrazano (The)
    Ps 128 Bensonhurst
    Ps 212 Lady Deborah Moody
Racial breakdown:

Asian:
39.7%
Hispanic:
27.6%
White:
24.5%
more
 See top rated New York middle schools

 Compare Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 73rd percentile in 2015 → 74th in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the New York average (64% vs 53% meeting standards)
Above the New York median (74th percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school64%
District avg62%
New York avg53%
385th of 1,500
New York public middle schools ?
Top 26%▲ up 1 pts since 2015
See the entire ranking list of New York Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
4th of 6Middle Schools in the New York City Geographic District #21
472nd of 874New York City Geographic District #21 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew York percentileRating
202569.6385 of 150074.3%★★★★☆
202472.7337 of 150477.6%★★★★☆
202371.3367 of 150075.5%★★★★☆
202273.4300 of 147979.7%★★★★☆
202161.8395 of 124268.2%★★★☆☆
201976.2289 of 143979.9%★★★★☆
201873.0332 of 143876.9%★★★★☆
201762.9470 of 145567.7%★★★☆☆
201664.5420 of 142970.6%★★★★☆
201568.4373 of 140773.5%★★★★☆
201456.4535 of 140161.8%★★★☆☆
201357.4541 of 137360.6%★★★☆☆
201251.0725 of 133745.8%★★☆☆☆
201157.4620 of 129552.1%★★★☆☆
201054.0682 of 124345.1%★★☆☆☆
200952.2761 of 122437.8%★★☆☆☆
200852.9703 of 118540.7%★★☆☆☆
200749.3679 of 112339.5%★★☆☆☆
200649.6660 of 109539.7%★★☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew York percentileRating
202548.5325 of 67651.9%★★★☆☆
202450.6304 of 70556.9%★★★☆☆
202347.6354 of 69649.1%★★☆☆☆
202245.3358 of 70649.3%★★☆☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew York percentileRating
202556.5197 of 40651.5%★★★☆☆
202456.1200 of 39649.5%★★★☆☆
202353.1214 of 38844.8%★★☆☆☆
202255.4191 of 38149.9%★★★☆☆
202128.3191 of 23619.1%★☆☆☆☆
201956.5170 of 36953.9%★★★☆☆
201854.5203 of 37445.7%★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew York percentileRating
202572.871 of 64689.0%★★★★☆
202475.550 of 61591.9%★★★★★
202379.741 of 59193.1%★★★★★
202279.829 of 58195.0%★★★★★
202153.939 of 11866.9%★★★☆☆
201974.833 of 47393.0%★★★★★
201888.613 of 50397.4%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew York percentileRating
202569.2390 of 145773.2%★★★★☆
202468.8388 of 146573.5%★★★★☆
202361.8505 of 146365.5%★★★☆☆
202266.8394 of 145472.9%★★★★☆
202147.2539 of 106649.4%★★☆☆☆
201972.0339 of 137075.3%★★★★☆
201868.9389 of 135371.2%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew York percentileRating
202545.7508 of 96547.4%★★☆☆☆
202443.5530 of 95344.4%★★☆☆☆
202354.5378 of 94359.9%★★★☆☆
202257.7319 of 91465.1%★★★☆☆
201960.6262 of 82668.3%★★★☆☆
201856.7313 of 81061.4%★★★☆☆

Homeless

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew York percentileRating
202566.6138 of 60377.1%★★★★☆
202458.3182 of 59469.4%★★★☆☆
202347.2262 of 54351.7%★★★☆☆
202254.2175 of 48764.1%★★★☆☆
201977.948 of 39287.8%★★★★☆
201850.8185 of 45759.5%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew York percentileRating
202573.6265 of 128379.3%★★★★☆
202478.0205 of 129684.2%★★★★☆
202376.9205 of 128884.1%★★★★☆
202280.3164 of 130687.4%★★★★☆
202167.5212 of 93577.3%★★★★☆
201982.3158 of 124187.3%★★★★☆
201879.2182 of 124585.4%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew York percentileRating
202568.2386 of 145573.5%★★★★☆
202474.8279 of 146480.9%★★★★☆
202376.9273 of 146481.4%★★★★☆
202277.1248 of 145583.0%★★★★☆
202170.1245 of 107177.1%★★★★☆
201978.6240 of 136682.4%★★★★☆
201875.4270 of 135280.0%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew York percentileRating
202563.4295 of 129877.3%★★★★☆
202464.9280 of 130378.5%★★★★☆
202357.9383 of 130770.7%★★★★☆
202265.9252 of 128380.4%★★★★☆
201952.5356 of 113968.7%★★★☆☆
201853.3384 of 117067.2%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew York percentileRating
202562.6292 of 77562.3%★★★☆☆
202468.0216 of 77872.2%★★★★☆
202359.1304 of 77260.6%★★★☆☆
202260.3277 of 74863.0%★★★☆☆
201960.6283 of 71660.5%★★★☆☆
201855.4344 of 76354.9%★★★☆☆
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)
English Language Learner (2025)89th percentile+15 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)79th percentile+5 vs school
Special Education (2025)77th percentile+3 vs school
Homeless (2025)77th percentile+3 vs school
Male (2025)73rd percentile~ school
Female (2025)73rd percentile~ school
White (2025)62nd percentile-12 vs school
African American (2025)52nd percentile-22 vs school
Asian (2025)51st percentile-23 vs school
Hispanic (2025)47th percentile-27 vs school
By subject vs New York (2024-2025) ?
Algebra I100%+44 vs state
Life Science Biology74%+16 vs state
Math67%+15 vs state
English Language Arts56%+5 vs state
Science55%+11 vs state

3.0
2 ratings
51
40
30
20
11
Rate Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
Reviews
No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.



Schools Near Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro









Frequently Asked Questions about Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro

Students at Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro are 40% Asian, 28% Hispanic, 24% White, 7% African American, 1% Two or more races.

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,198 students attended Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro.

Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro ranks 385th of 1500 New York middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.


Rate Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro!



Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro!




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.





Diagnostics

None retrieved from Database in 1426 milliseconds.