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Non-residential. Baisley Pond Park features one of Queens' largest natural ponds, walking paths, and sports fields serving the surrounding Springfield Gardens and Jamaica communities.
Non-residential. Baisley Pond Park features one of Queens' largest natural ponds, walking paths, and sports fields serving the surrounding Springfield Gardens and Jamaica communities.
Who’s your neighbor?
Housing cost
Commute
Weekday mornings · leaving 7:30–9:00
- FromBaisley Park
- ToNear Bryant Park
Family scores
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Trade-offs
Stands out
- Air & Child Health88/100
Cleaner air and better child-health measures
- Affordability86/100
Lower costs than most
To weigh
- Family-Friendly Vibe24/100
Fewer families with children than most
- Transit30/100
Longer weekday-morning trips to the city's main job centers
- Schools38/100
Weaker results at the public and charter schools serving it, or fewer of them
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
How does Baisley 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 FamilySchools & early education
Schools10 schools
Baisley Park offers a deep bench of public schools alongside a couple of charter options and a single private early childhood center. Elementary options include P.S. 045 Clarence Witherspoon, P.S. 123, and P.S. 140 Edward K Ellington, while P.S. 223 Lyndon B. Johnson and the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety serve older students. The area also has a solid selection of early childhood programs and daycares. Two charter schools — Rochdale Early Advantage and Success Academy South Jamaica — add some governance diversity to the mix.
Browse all early-ed in this neighborhoodLiving here
Parks & Playgrounds4 places
Baisley Pond Park is the anchor here — it holds three playgrounds (157th Street, Lakeview Lane, and Sutphin) spread around its perimeter, which means you can wander between different setups without crossing any major roads. Playground One Forty stands on its own a few blocks north and draws a loyal local crowd. It's a decent bench of options for a neighborhood that skews more toward quiet homeowners, so these spaces don't feel overrun even on beautiful weekends.
1 playground within a 10-min walk
Nearest large park: Cunningham Park · ~79 min walk (3 mi)
Transportation34 stops
Baisley Park is a bus-dependent neighborhood — the nearest subway, the JFK Airport stop on the A line, sits about a mile east, and most residents board routes along Sutphin Boulevard, Rockaway Boulevard, or Merrick Boulevard to reach it. Stops like Sutphin/Linden and Merrick/Baisley are well-served. For Manhattan-bound commuters, expect a 15-20 minute bus ride to the train before your commute really begins.
Restaurants51 places
Baisley Park keeps it casual — a solid mix of Caribbean jerk spots and soul food shacks line the main drags, with Chinese takeout and pizza joints filling in the gaps. There is a deep bench of small delis and local eateries that cater more to quick bites than sit-down dinners, and the fast food presence is heavy along Sutphin and Guy R. Brewer. Families looking for a proper date-night option will come up thin, but there's solid, straightforward fare for everyday meals.
Groceries6 places
Options for the weekly shop in Baisley Park are solid if you're okay with smaller local grocers — there are half a dozen along the main corridors, clustering around Sutphin and Merrick. It's a mix of ethnic markets and neighborhood staples, the kind where you can usually find what you need for a home-cooked dinner. That said, if you're after a single-stop major supermarket run, you'll likely need a car or be ready to head slightly afield.
Coffee Shops7 places
Baisley Park's coffee scene is thin but functional — you're mainly looking at a few counter-service spots and Caribbean-inspired cafes that double as lunch counters. There's a Starbucks near the JFK airport Hilton if you need a familiar fix, but the neighborhood doesn't have a deep bench of third-wave roasters. The independents that are here tend to be soul food or Caribbean focused, so coffee is often a side gig rather than the main event.
Things to Do2 places
Baisley Park offers a thin but functional mix of activities for families. There's a martial arts studio along Rockaway Boulevard that covers the athletic side, and the neighborhood park provides open space for kids to run and play. Given the lower family density here, you won't find the deep bench of kids' enrichment options you'd get in more family-heavy areas, but what's here serves the basics well. Families often look to adjacent Jamaica and St. Albans for additional options.
Daycare & informal care4 places
Baisley Park delivers a decent bench for families with pre-K-age kids — a dozen pre-K sites anchored by several DOE schools, plus four daycares handling the younger set. The options lean public, which is good news for families chasing universal pre-K seats. Private daycare is thinner on the ground, so if that's your preference, getting on a waitlist early is smart. Most families can find a spot, but the private care lane is more competitive.
Family Resources5 places
There's a solid public anchor in the Baisley Park branch library on Sutphin Boulevard — a real neighborhood gem that's open six days a week. Recreation options run deeper here than you'd expect for a quieter Queens pocket, with Dr. Charles R. Drew Park and Playground One Forty offering green space for kids. A seasonal farmers market at NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens adds a nice weekly option. That said, formal family programming or dedicated community centers beyond the library are thin on the ground.
Healthcare7 places
Baisley Park offers a solid base of community health centers along Sutphin Boulevard and Guy R. Brewer Boulevard — Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center anchors the area in two locations, and the Thomas & Marie White Health Center adds another option. However, dedicated pediatricians, urgent care facilities, and dentists are notably absent from the immediate area, meaning families will likely look to neighboring Jamaica or further afield for those services.
Compare with nearby neighborhoods
Best schools in Baisley Park
Schools in Baisley Park
10
- High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety
- Home Instruction - Queen
- P.S. 045 Clarence Witherspoon
- P.S. 123
- P.S. 140 Edward K Ellington
- P.S. 223 Lyndon B. Johnson
- Queens Transition Center
- Rochdale Early Advantage Charter School
- Success Academy Charter School - South Jamaica
- SUNSHINE DEVEL - COMM EARLY CHILD
Early education in Baisley Park
18
- Afro American Parents
- AFRO AMERICAN PARENTS EDUCATIONAL CENTERS INC. SITE 2
- Afro-American Parents Educational Center Site 2
- ALL MY CHILDREN DAY CARE 6
- AUNTY JEAN'S PLACE INC
- Ivy Academy Day Care Center
- Kidz World Early Childhood Center
- KIDZ WORLD EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER INC.
- MYRTLE P. JARMON EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATIONAL CENTER
- Myrtle P. Jarmon Ecec
- P.S. 045 Clarence Witherspoon
- P.S. 123
- P.S. 223 LYNDON B. JOHNSON
- Paccor Kids
- Queens Transition Center
- Rochdale Early Advantage Charter School
- South Jamaica Center For Children And Parents Inc. Center 1
- THE IVY ACADEMY DAY CARE CENTER
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Baisley Park a good neighborhood for families?
- Baisley Park scores 53/100 for families on Motley — near the middle of the pack citywide. 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 Baisley Park for families?
- For families, Baisley Park stands out for cleaner air and better child-health measures, and lower costs than most. What to weigh: fewer families with children than most; longer weekday-morning trips to the city's main job centers; and weaker results at the public and charter schools serving it, or fewer of them. 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 Baisley Park safe?
- Baisley Park scores 57/100 on safety — near the middle of the pack citywide. 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 Baisley Park?
- Baisley Park has 10 schools mapped inside its boundary and scores 38/100 for schools — toward the lower end citywide.
- How do middle and high school admissions work from Baisley Park?
- Middle school: families in Baisley Park apply in 5th grade through the citywide middle school application. District 27's 24 middle school programs admit by method: 14 zoned, 5 unscreened, 4 screened and 1 charter lottery. District 28's 15 middle school programs admit by method: 9 unscreened, 3 charter lottery and 3 screened. 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 Baisley Park affordable?
- Baisley Park scores 86/100 for affordability on Motley — more affordable than most NYC neighborhoods.
- Which borough is Baisley Park in?
- Baisley Park is a neighborhood in Queens, New York City.
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