At a Glance
A steadily rising Woodside elementary where families give the school its highest marks even as test scores climb toward district norms.
Best suited for
Families who want a diverse, community-rooted elementary with strong parent-teacher relationships and a clear upward trajectory, and who don't mind third grade being a slower ramp before students hit their stride.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of NY State ELA + math proficiency, grades 3–8
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- Zero suspensions in each of the past three years, paired with 99% teacher-reported safety — an unusually calm disciplinary climate for a school this size.
- Parent-principal trust at 98% and strong-relationships score at 100% — among the highest community-trust numbers in District 30.
- Test scores have climbed roughly 12 to 15 percentage points since 2016, one of the clearer improvement trajectories in the area.
- Serves a genuinely multilingual, majority-immigrant student body that mirrors Woodside's neighborhood character.
- Three subway lines within a 10-minute walk make this one of the better-connected zoned schools in western Queens.
Things to consider
- Overall proficiency still trails the district average by a few points, even with the gains.
- Chronic absenteeism at 72.2% is high — a district-wide post-COVID reality, but worth asking how the school supports consistent attendance.
- Third-grade proficiency lags noticeably behind fourth and fifth grade, so early elementary years may feel like a slower start before students gain traction.
- Class size averages 23.6, in line with the district but larger than what you'd find in smaller neighborhood schools.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 30
District 30 includes some of Queens' most celebrated schools — the Baccalaureate School for Global Education, the 30th Avenue School, P.S. 234 — but those are largely selective or G&T programs. P.S. 011 is a typical zoned neighborhood school, performing slightly below the district average on raw proficiency while outscoring most peers on culture and trust measures.
Academics
P.S. 011's 56.8% ELA proficiency and 59.9% math proficiency are slightly below the District 30 averages of 60.7% and 62.2%, but the school has closed a meaningful gap over the past decade — math has risen from 45.7% in 2016 to nearly 60% in 2025, and ELA has climbed from 44.2% to 56.8%. The improvement is real and consistent, not a one-year bounce. By grade, third-grade results lag (46.7% ELA, 43.2% math) while fourth and fifth graders perform meaningfully better, suggesting students gain ground as they progress through the school.
Culture
The climate numbers here are striking. Teacher-reported safety is 99% — among the highest in the district — and the school recorded zero suspensions in each of the past three years. Parents give the school 95% satisfaction and 97% trust in teachers, with 100% saying there are strong relationships. Attendance sits at 92.4%, essentially matching the district average, though chronic absenteeism is high at 72.2% — a widespread post-pandemic pattern, but one worth watching. Day-to-day, this reads as a calm, relational school where families feel heard and teachers trust leadership.
Community
P.S. 011's student body is 53% Hispanic and 32% Asian, with smaller shares of white, Black, multiracial, and Native American students — a mix that mirrors Woodside's immigrant-rooted population. Sixteen percent of students have IEPs and the economic need index is 67.6, meaning most families qualify for some form of public assistance. The school draws from a neighborhood where median household income is around $75,000 and about a fifth of households have children at home, so the families here are largely working-class and multilingual.
Neighborhood
Woodside is one of Queens' classic immigrant crossroads, with a population that reflects Central and South American, South Asian, and East Asian roots. About 21% of neighborhood households include children, and roughly a third of residents own their homes — a renter-majority area with a steady working-class rhythm. Median home values sit near $650,000, which tells you this is a neighborhood where families put down roots and stay.
Three subway stops are within walking distance: the 7 train at 52nd Street (about 5 minutes) and 61st Street–Woodside (about 7 minutes), plus the M and R at Northern Boulevard (about 10 minutes).
Academic Performance
ELA Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State ELA exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Math Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Math exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Historical Trends
The dashed line marks 2023, when New York changed its grades 3–8 state tests. Scores before and after it aren’t directly comparable.
2020–2021 data unavailable due to COVID-19
Source: NYC DOE School Quality Reports
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 244 families responded (35% rate)
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Pre-K
P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan also has Pre-K classes. They're a separate application from kindergarten, made on MySchools.
Pre-K application
Applications typically open in the winter and close in the spring, with offers in late spring; the city announces exact dates each year.
Kindergarten
P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan has an attendance zone. At elementary level, in-zone students get a guaranteed seat. Every family still applies on MySchools: the application confirms the zoned seat, and ranking other schools doesn't cost you it.
Kindergarten application
- Opens
- Wed, Dec 9
- Closes
- Fri, Jan 22
- Offers
- Tue, Mar 30
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Check that your address is inside the zone — zones change, so confirm it before you sign a lease.
- 2Apply during the kindergarten application, even with a zoned seat.
- 3Rank this school along with any others you'd take, in true preference order.
Middle school (6th grade)
Middle school is one citywide application, made in 5th grade. We don't have P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan's program list, so read how each of its programs admits on MySchools before you rank it.
Middle school application
- Opened
- Wed, Oct 14
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 11
- Offers
- Wed, Apr 7
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the middle school application, in 5th grade.
- 2Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan earns an overall rating of 58/100 — the average of the school's New York State ELA and math proficiency, grades 3–8, shown out of 100. Its state test results run in line with the District 30 average.
- What grades does P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan serve?
- P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan serves grades Pre-K to 6.
- How do students get into P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan?
- P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan admits by zone. For elementary grades, children who live in its zone get a guaranteed seat; for the older grades, living in the zone gives priority, not a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan is a public school in NYC Community School District 30.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan in?
- P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan is in Woodside, Queens.