Categories
Quick searches
College Point sits on a peninsula between Flushing Bay and the East River with affordable housing and waterfront views. Big-box retail along College Point Boulevard and proximity to Flushing.
College Point sits on a peninsula between Flushing Bay and the East River with affordable housing and waterfront views. Big-box retail along College Point Boulevard and proximity to Flushing.
Did you know?
College Point was home to the Conrad Poppenhusen Institute, established in 1868 as America's first free kindergarten — the building still stands on 114th Street.
Who’s your neighbor?
Housing cost
$546 / sq ft
Commute
Weekday mornings · leaving 7:30–9:00
- FromCollege Point
- ToNear Bryant Park
Family scores
Show 5 moreShow fewer
Trade-offs
Stands out
- Safety75/100
Fewer reported crimes, traffic injuries and serious housing violations per resident
- Air & Child Health75/100
Cleaner air and better child-health measures
- Affordability67/100
Lower costs than most
To weigh
- Family-Friendly Vibe6/100
Fewer families with children than most
- Schools20/100
Weaker results at the public and charter schools serving it, or fewer of them
- Transit22/100
Longer weekday-morning trips to the city's main job centers
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 College Point 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
Schools5 schools
College Point keeps it straightforward with a solid public school bench — you get P.S. 029 Queens and P.S. 129 Patricia Larkin serving the elementary years, plus a District 25 PRE-K Center that many local parents land on early. The private option is smaller, with Full Gospel Christian School covering grades below elementary. There's no charter or magnet scene to speak of here, so families zoned to the neighborhood schools generally stay put.
Browse all early-ed in this neighborhoodLiving here
Parks & Playgrounds4 places
College Point keeps its green space compact — MacNeil Playground in Macneil Park and Poppenhusen Playground near the waterfront are your two dedicated play spots. It's a shallow bench compared to Queens neighborhoods loaded with pocket parks, but both are well-used locals. Families looking for more variety will find themselves venturing slightly beyond the neighborhood for additional options.
1 playground within a 10-min walk
Nearest large park: Flushing Meadows-Corona Park · ~39 min walk (1.5 mi)
Transportation54 stops
College Point is bus-dependent — there's no subway here, so your commute to Manhattan means catching a local along College Point Boulevard or 14th Avenue and transferring somewhere in Flushing. The bus network is surprisingly dense though, with stops like 14th Ave/132nd St and 20th Ave/Whitestone Expy giving solid neighborhood coverage. For car-free households, it's workable once you figure out your transfer point; for drivers, the Whitestone Expressway is your lifeline to the city.
Restaurants59 places
College Point's eat-out scene runs along College Point Blvd in a satisfyingly scrappy way — a deep bench of delis and Chinese takeout spots line the main drag, with a handful of Mexican and Latin kitchens mixed in for good measure. Bakeries pop up between the savory options, and there's the occasional sit-down spot like the steakhouse down 20th Ave for when you want to branch out. It's not fancy, but for quick family meals and weekend grab-and-go, the density makes it easy to find something without heading into Flushing proper. Fast food chains cluster near the Whitestone Expy for the drive-through crowd.
Groceries14 places
College Point has a solid mix for the weekly shop — there's a Key Food on College Point Blvd that covers the basics, and a couple of bulk and supermarket options along 20th Ave if you need to stock up. The ethnic grocery scene is small but solid, with a few specialty spots catering to the neighborhood's diverse population. For a full haul, most families will want a car since the major supermarkets are spread out along the commercial strips, though the smaller markets are walkable from residential blocks.
Coffee Shops8 places
College Point keeps caffeine flowing with a heavy Starbucks presence — four locations clustered around the 20th Ave corridor and the Target shopping area. Independent options exist but stay thin and scattered across the neighborhood, with a bakery-café or two mixed in. You're not going to find a third-wave cluster here, so it's very much the familiar green mermaid or a smaller local spot if you want to wander.
Things to Do10 places
College Point leans hard into the water — there are a surprising number of pool options in a pretty compact stretch, making it a bit of a hidden gem for swim lessons and family dips. Beyond the splash scene, you've got a couple of solid field spots for soccer and open play, a movie theater for rainy day escapes, and a scattered handful of kids enrichment (a playground, a kids club, a taekwondo studio) to round things out. It's not overloaded, but what's here covers the basics pretty well.
Daycare & informal care
College Point's Pre-K footprint is solid — there are five public Pre-K sites through District 25, including centers on 22nd Avenue and 143rd Street plus a few embedded in elementary schools. That said, private daycare options here are thin, so families leaning toward traditional childcare (rather than UPK) may need to look slightly afield. Drop-off logistics at the school-based sites tend to mirror elementary school patterns.
Family Resources5 places
College Point keeps things simple on the civic front — the POPPENHUSEN library on 14th Avenue is the neighborhood's anchor, a solid little branch with local history roots. Recreation-wise, you're looking at a decent bench of options: College Point Fields over by 130th Street gives you some open space, while the cluster around 14th Avenue (College Point Park and Playground 115) serves the denser residential blocks. It's not flashy, but the basics are covered — there's a playground within reasonable walking distance, which is really what matters for families in this corner of Queens.
Healthcare2 places
College Point's healthcare landscape leans more utility than full-service. There's one anchor facility — Cliffside Renal Dialysis on Graham Court — and a single ProHEALTH Urgent Care on 14th Avenue for after-hours needs. The honest gap here is pediatric and dental care, which don't appear in the current mix; families typically head to Flushing or Whitestone for a pediatrician or dentist. It's workable but not self-contained.
Compare with nearby neighborhoods
Best schools in College Point
Schools in College Point
5
Early education in College Point
7
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is College Point a good neighborhood for families?
- College Point scores 43/100 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 College Point for families?
- For families, College Point stands out for fewer reported crimes, traffic injuries and serious housing violations per resident; cleaner air and better child-health measures; and lower costs than most. What to weigh: fewer families with children than most; weaker results at the public and charter schools serving it, or fewer of them; and longer weekday-morning trips to the city's main job centers. 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 College Point safe?
- College Point scores 75/100 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 College Point?
- College Point has 5 schools mapped inside its boundary and scores 20/100 for schools — toward the lower end citywide.
- How do middle and high school admissions work from College Point?
- Middle school: families in College Point apply in 5th grade through the citywide middle school application. District 25's 18 middle school programs admit by method: 14 unscreened, 3 zoned and 1 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 College Point affordable?
- College Point scores 67/100 for affordability on Motley — more affordable than most NYC neighborhoods.
- Which borough is College Point in?
- College Point is a neighborhood in Queens, 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.