Motley
Borough Park, Brooklyn
BrooklynDistrict 20 →

Borough Park

Categories

Quick searches

At A Glance

Borough Park is one of NYC's largest Orthodox Jewish communities. Dense residential blocks with family-oriented commercial corridors along 13th Avenue.

Did you know?

Borough Park has one of the highest birth rates of any neighborhood in New York City — families with six or more children are common.

Who’s your neighbor?

$53KMedian Income
46%Under 18
21%College+
29%Own Their Home

Housing cost

Median asking rent
$2,600per month
Median sale price
$2.05Mmedian sale

$739 / sq ft

Commute

Weekday mornings · leaving 7:30–9:00

  1. FromBorough Park
  2. To
    Near Bryant Park
51 to 52min

Family scores

64
/100
Family Fit
A weighted blend of the scores below, all but Neighborhood Character.
90
/100
Safety
Reported crime, traffic injuries and serious housing violations, per resident.
85
/100
Schools
Test results, family satisfaction and class sizes at the schools serving the area, and how many there are.
29
/100
Affordability
Higher is more affordable.
Show 5 more
96
/100
Family-Friendly Vibe
How many families with kids live nearby.
31
/100
Neighborhood Character
Older, uniform housing. Not part of Family Fit.
49
/100
Transit
Weekday-morning transit time to the nearest job centers.
17
/100
Air & Child Health
Fine-particle air pollution, child lead levels and asthma ER visits.
39
/100
Things to Do
Places families use within a 10-minute walk of home.
Lower
050100
Higher
How this is scored→

Trade-offs

Stands out

  • Family-Friendly Vibe96/100

    Many families with children, with homes and schools close by

  • Safety90/100

    Fewer reported crimes, traffic injuries and serious housing violations per resident

  • Schools85/100

    Strong results at the public and charter schools serving it

To weigh

  • Air & Child Health17/100

    More air pollution, childhood lead or asthma ER visits than most

  • Affordability29/100

    Higher costs than most

Each score compares it with NYC's other residential neighborhoods.

What these scores don't measure: how a block feels on foot, what's changing on it, and whether a particular school suits your child. Walk it at school drop-off time, and check the zoned school for the exact address before you sign a lease.

Your family’s read

For your family

How does Borough Park fit your family?

An agentic read of this neighborhood — including safety and cost of living — tailored to your priorities, family size, budget, and commute.

Analyze for My Family

Schools & early education

Schools80 schools

Borough Park runs a deep bench of yeshivas and girls' schools — the private options here are overwhelming, with religious education from early childhood through high school. The public side is thinner but includes a few standouts like Bais Sarah School on 16th Avenue and Beth Jacob of Borough Park, both serving families who need secular options. Most of the private schools cluster along 14th and 15th Avenues, so walking the block gives you a real feel for what's there.

Browse all early-ed in this neighborhood

Living here

Parks & Playgrounds2 places

When it comes to dedicated playgrounds, Borough Park operates with a lean bench — just two city-run spots, DiGilio Playground and Dome Playground, serve a neighborhood packed with families. What the area lacks in formal play equipment it partly makes up for in street life and walkability, with plenty of side streets and low traffic for kids to roam. The trade-off is real though: on warm weekends, these two playgrounds get crowded fast.

Nearest large park: Prospect Park · ~37 min walk (1.4 mi)

Transportation76 stops

Getting around Borough Park means having the D and N lines at your back door — 50 St and 55 St on the D, Fort Hamilton Pkwy on the N, all pulling you straight into Manhattan without a transfer. The bus network along 13th and 14th Avenues fills in the gaps nicely, especially if you're not heading to the city every day. For a neighborhood this dense, the transit options punch above their weight.

Restaurants56 places

Borough Park runs on its stomach, and that means a deep bench of kosher delis and pizza spots sitting alongside solid Chinese takeout counters and a few sit-down Polish and Italian cafes. You'll find the biggest cluster along 13th and 18th Aves — dozens of options for a quick family dinner or Saturday night takeout. It's not a date-night destination, but if you need a reliably busy kitchen, this block delivers.

Groceries26 places

Borough Park's grocery scene is overwhelmingly kosher — you'll find a deep bench of butchers, grocers, and supermarkets clustered along 13th and 18th Avenues, with smaller options branching onto the side streets. The Boro Park Greenmarket on 14th Avenue runs seasonally and brings fresh produce into the mix. For non-kosher fare, there's a handful of Latin and Central Asian shops scattered around the perimeter. A car helps for the big weekly shop, but the neighborhood is walkable enough for top-ups.

Coffee Shops19 places

A solid bench of coffee options lines the main drags here, though you'll notice the heavy tilt toward bagel shops that double as morning caffeine stops — the classic Brooklyn combo rather than third-wave roasters. A handful of sit-down cafes offer a more lingering vibe when you need to stay a while. Chain coffee is essentially nonexistent on these blocks, which gives everything a distinctly local feel — it's more about quick counter service and grabbing a bagel than setting up with a laptop for an afternoon.

Things to Do9 places

Borough Park's kid activity scene leans heavily into children's retail and specialty services — the list is heavy on boutiques stocking kids' clothing and gear, with only a thin bench of actual enrichment: a couple dance schools, a single martial arts studio, and that classic single-screen Loew's theater on New Utrecht that feels like a throwback to another era. Sports leagues and swim options are basically absent from this pocket, which means families often venture elsewhere for the big stuff.

Daycare & informal care6 places

Borough Park delivers a deep bench of early childhood options, with roughly 30 providers scattered across the neighborhood — the vast majority being free Pre-K programs through the district. You'll find a mix of secular and religious-affiliated sites, with the Yiddish-speaking community running a particularly robust network. Private daycares are the minority here, so if you're looking for full-day care beyond the Pre-K window, expect to hunt a bit harder. Morning drop-off traffic on the main drags can get choppy, so factor that into your logistics.

Family Resources3 places

The Borough Park Library anchors the neighborhood's civic life — a reliable spot for story times, homework help, and a quiet corner when you need it. The seasonal greenmarkets along 14th Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets bring fresh produce through the warmer months, which is a real asset, but they're not year-round. Beyond the library, the public resource picture is thin — this is a neighborhood that makes do with what it has rather than a deep bench of community anchors.

Healthcare33 places

Borough Park has a deep bench of hospitals and clinics — Ezra Medical Center runs multiple locations across the neighborhood, and Maimonides maintains a strong pediatric primary care presence on 57th Street. Pediatric care is reasonably covered with a handful of independent practitioners and clinic-based options. Dental services are thin but what's there is solid — just a few private practices serving the area. Urgent care is the gap; there's only one standalone option, so families often rely on the extended clinics for non-emergency needs.

Compare with nearby neighborhoods

81%
Borough Park vs Mapleton-Midwood (West)
similar
78%
Borough Park vs Gravesend (West)
similar
76%
Borough Park vs Dyker Heights
similar
76%
Borough Park vs Windsor Terrace-South Slope
similar

Best schools in Borough Park

Best elementary schools in Borough ParkBest middle schools in Borough ParkBest high schools in Borough Park

Schools in Borough Park

80

Early education in Borough Park

80

All early education in Borough Park →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Borough Park a good neighborhood for families?
Borough Park scores 64/100 for families on Motley — ahead of most NYC neighborhoods. The Family Fit score blends six parts: how many families live there, schools, affordability, weekday-morning transit time to job centers, safety, and air quality and child health.
What are the pros and cons of Borough Park for families?
For families, Borough Park stands out for many families with children, with homes and schools close by; fewer reported crimes, traffic injuries and serious housing violations per resident; and strong results at the public and charter schools serving it. What to weigh: more air pollution, childhood lead or asthma ER visits than most, and higher costs than most. Each score compares it with NYC's other residential neighborhoods. They don't measure how a block feels on foot or whether a particular school suits your child, so walk it before you decide.
Is Borough Park safe?
Borough Park scores 90/100 on safety — ahead of most NYC neighborhoods. We build the score from NYPD crime complaints, pedestrian and cyclist injuries, and serious (Class C) housing violations, each counted per 1,000 residents.
How are the schools in Borough Park?
Borough Park has 80 schools mapped inside its boundary and scores 85/100 for schools — ahead of most NYC neighborhoods.
How do middle and high school admissions work from Borough Park?
Middle school: families in Borough Park apply in 5th grade through the citywide middle school application. District 20's 32 middle school programs admit by method: 15 screened, 12 zoned and 5 unscreened. District 15's 20 middle school programs admit by method: 15 unscreened and 5 charter lottery. High school: one citywide application in 8th grade lets a family rank programs anywhere in the city, and the eight specialized high schools admit on the SHSAT alone.
Is Borough Park affordable?
Borough Park scores 29/100 for affordability on Motley — among the pricier parts of the city.
Which borough is Borough Park in?
Borough Park is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City.

Want personalized insights for your family?

Sign in to get an agentic neighborhood analysis — including safety and cost of living — tailored to your priorities, family size, budget, and commute.

Analyze for My FamilyBrowse All