At a Glance
A large Flushing elementary where parent trust runs sky-high but chronic absenteeism is the story to watch
Best suited for
Flushing families who want a high-trust, calm school environment with strong family engagement and can prioritize getting their child to school every day.
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
- Parent trust scores (98–99%) are among the highest in District 25
- Three straight years with zero suspensions — a rare record
- Fourth-grade math proficiency at 79% is a real bright spot
- Math results have held remarkably steady near the district average for nearly a decade
- Large enrollment of 1,100+ reflects the dense Flushing community it serves
Things to consider
- ELA proficiency sits about 11 points below the district average and has seesawed without clear improvement
- Chronic absenteeism at nearly 78% is a serious concern, highest among the Asian students who make up most of the school
- PTA fundraising per student is half the district average, which can limit enrichment and extras
- Average class size of 24.7 matches the district — not a small-class-size school
- School sits in the middle-to-lower range of District 25 peers, which include several 90+ scorers
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 25
District 25 includes some of Queens' strongest elementary options — the Active Learning Elementary School and P.S. 079 both score above 90 — and P.S. 020 sits well below those peers, closer to the middle of the pack.
Academics
Math proficiency of 68.4% is essentially at the district average of 69.6%, while ELA proficiency of 54.1% sits about 11 points below the district's 64.9% — a meaningful gap that has persisted for nearly a decade. The math trajectory is steady (mid- to high-60s year after year), while ELA has seesawed between 44% and 54% without finding firm footing. Fourth grade is the school's bright spot in math at 79.1% proficiency, well above the school's own averages.
Culture
The trust numbers here are among the strongest in the district — 98% of parents trust teachers, 99% trust the principal, and 98% report strong relationships with the school. Teachers rate instruction quality at 92% and their own collegial trust at 95%, and there have been zero suspensions in each of the last three years, a striking record. The cloud on this picture is chronic absenteeism at 77.9%, which is high across every demographic group and highest among Asian students at 87.7% — daily attendance is clearly the school's biggest climate challenge, even as the relational fabric feels strong.
Community
The student body is 70% Asian and 22% Hispanic, with Black, white, and multiracial students making up small shares — closely mirroring the Flushing neighborhood around it. About 12% of students have IEPs, and the economic need index of 78 (on a 100-point scale) reflects a working- and middle-class community with significant need. PTA fundraising comes in at about $24 per student, roughly half the district average of nearly $50 — a signal that either family budgets or PTA capacity is leaner here than at peer schools.
Neighborhood
Flushing-Willets Point is a working- and middle-class neighborhood with a median household income around $50,000 and a poverty rate near 20%, well below citywide medians on both counts. Only about 14% of households have children, homeownership runs low at 25%, and roughly a quarter of adults have a college degree — a profile shaped heavily by immigrant and renter households. The dense, family-rooted community around the school is very much a Flushing community, and the student body reflects that.
The 7 train at Flushing-Main St is about a 7-minute walk from the school, making it reachable by subway for families coming from elsewhere in Queens.
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) · 741 families responded (77% rate)
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
PTA Fundraising
Source: DOE Local Law 171 disclosure
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Pre-K
P.S. 020 John Bowne 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. 020 John Bowne 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.
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. 020 John Bowne a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 020 John Bowne earns an overall rating of 61/100 — 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 below the District 25 average.
- What grades does P.S. 020 John Bowne serve?
- P.S. 020 John Bowne serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 020 John Bowne?
- P.S. 020 John Bowne admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 020 John Bowne public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 020 John Bowne is a public school in NYC Community School District 25.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 020 John Bowne in?
- P.S. 020 John Bowne is in Flushing-Willets Point, Queens.