P.S. 045 Clarence Witherspoon is an elementary school in South Ozone Park, Queens, serving students from Pre-K through 5th grade. The school maintains a notably low suspension rate and offers small class sizes, contributing to a supportive learning environment. Official parent surveys indicate exceptionally high satisfaction with the school's safety, learning environment, and staff relationships. However, academic proficiency in both ELA and Math is a significant concern, with scores well below citywide averages. While some parents commend the principal and staff for fostering engaging activities like dance and art shows, others express concerns about bullying and school leadership. The school has recently completed roof renovations, allowing full use of playground spaces, and has been recognized for its community partnership in a food pantry program. It also focuses on social-emotional development and has increased its English as a New Language (ENL) staff to support its diverse student population.
What this school has to spend, and what it spends it on. Spending is not a measure of quality. Schools serving more students with higher needs receive more money.
Average class size by classroom setting: general education vs. ICT (Integrated Co-Teaching, where general- and special-education students learn together with two teachers). NYC DOE Class Size Report, 2021–22.
Survey topics
Family outreach92%city 94%
School staff regularly communicate with me about how I can help my child learn.92%
Teachers work closely with me to meet my child's needs.84%
My child's school communicates with me in a language that I can understand.96%
I am greeted warmly when I contact or visit the school.99%
My child's school will make me aware if there are any concerns about my child’s social or emotional well-being.91%
Each question’s favorable response rate; the topic score (92%) is their average, vs 94% citywide.
Parent–teacher trust96%city 95%
I feel respected by my child's teachers.99%
Staff at this school work hard to build trusting relationships with parents/guardians like me.93%
My child's teachers treat me as a partner in educating my child.97%
Each question’s favorable response rate; the topic score (96%) is their average, vs 95% citywide.
Show all survey topicsShow fewer
Effective School Leadership
Inclusive Leadership95%city 95%
The principal/school leader at this school…puts decisions made with families into action.95%
The principal/school leader at this school…works to create a sense of community in the school.95%
The principal/school leader at this school…ensures families are comfortable communicating with the school.95%
Each question’s favorable response rate; the topic score (95%) is their average, vs 95% citywide.
Strong Family-Community Ties
Building Families' Capacity as their Child's Primary Teacher
Overall positive % is averaged across every Pos/Neg survey question per respondent group (school year 2023-2024). Survey topics are the DOE’s framework measures (each the average favorable response across its questions; expand a topic to see them and the citywide average); the dimension scores themselves are no longer in the public data file.[3]
Teacher experience and certification from the NYSED School Report Card (2024–25); students per teacher = enrollment ÷ reported teachers. Fewer than 4 years counts as inexperienced.
Female / male shares as published by the DOE; other gender identities aren’t reported in the source data.
Enrollment
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↳ Students who live in the zone and have a sibling at the school.
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↳ Other students who live in the zone.
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↳ Students who live in the district and have a sibling at the school.
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↳ Students who live outside the district and have a sibling at the school.
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↳ Other students who live in the district.
10
10
1.00
↳ All other applicants.
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Last year’s published figures. Schools make more offers than seats because not everyone enrolls, so offers can exceed seats. Counts under 10 are suppressed (shown as “<10”).
Pre-K - School Day
Program code 27Q045PK · Cycle 2024-2025
Zoned
17 applicants · 36 seats last year; every priority group with applicants received offers.
↳ Students who live in the zone and have a sibling at the school.
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↳ Other students who live in the zone.
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↳ Students who live in the district and have a sibling at the school.
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↳ Students who live outside the district and have a sibling at the school.
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↳ Other students who live in the district.
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↳ All other applicants.
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Last year’s published figures. Schools make more offers than seats because not everyone enrolls, so offers can exceed seats. Counts under 10 are suppressed (shown as “<10”).
How to read Applications / seat and where the outlook buckets come from is explained in our methodology.
57th percentile citywide
School-managed budget
$8.4MPositions: 62
56th percentile citywide
Total spend per student
$32,999
47th percentile citywide · city median $33,606
Staffing costs
Principal’s salary
$208K
73rd percentile citywide
Principal and assistant principals
$352KPositions: 2
23rd percentile citywide
Teaching staff
$4.7MPositions: 38
59th percentile citywide
Where the school-managed budget goes
These five categories add up to the school-managed budget. They do not include the centrally-paid costs in total spend.