P.S. 3

Our school

A small school with a town inside it

P.S. 3 Raul Julia Micro Society is a Pre-K through grade 8 public school on Lafontaine Avenue in Tremont, the Bronx.

Who we are

P.S. 3 opened its doors as a MicroSociety school and has run on that idea ever since: that children learn a community best by being handed one to run. For part of every day the building becomes a small town, and the jobs in it belong to the children.

We are a small school — about 317 children, from three-year-olds in 3-K right through to eighth-graders. Small enough that the principal knows the names, and that a child who starts here in Pre-K can finish here at thirteen without ever changing buildings.

Named for Raúl Juliá

In June 1996 this school was named for Raúl Juliá — the Puerto Rican actor who spent his fame on the work of ending hunger. Thirty years on, his name still sets the assignment: use what you have on behalf of everybody else.

The building

Our own building
We do not share our building with another school. The whole of 2100 Lafontaine Avenue is ours.
Fully accessible
The building is rated 10 out of 10 on the NYC Building Accessibility Profile — every primary function area is accessible.
No metal detectors
There are none in this building, and 91% of our students say they feel safe in the hallways.
Free meals, every day
Breakfast and lunch are free for every child, as they are across NYC public schools.

What the record shows

64%
of our eighth-graders earn high school credit before they leaveCitywide the figure is 33%.
91%
of our students say they feel safe in the hallwaysCitywide the figure is 81%.
84%
of our teachers have three or more years in the classroomCitywide the figure is 81%.
10/10
on the NYC Building Accessibility ProfileEvery primary function area in the building is accessible.

Figures: NYC Public Schools 2024–25 School Quality Guide, the 2024–25 NYC School Survey, and the NYC Building Accessibility Profile.

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