P.S. 040 Samuel Huntington

The headline here is the trajectory: ELA proficiency has climbed from 17.8% in 2016 to 76.5% in 2025, and math from 22.3% to 80.8%. Both subjects now sit roughly 14 to 18 percentage points above the District 28 average. The path hasn't been smooth — there was a notable dip in 2024, when ELA fell to 45.1%, before rebounding sharply in 2025 — but the decade-long direction is clearly upward. Grade-level breakdowns show strength across the board, with 3rd graders leading at 82.5% ELA and 85% math proficiency, and 4th and 5th graders both above 70% in ELA and above 75% in math.

The survey numbers are striking: 100% of responding families reported satisfaction, trust in teachers, trust in the principal, and strong relationships with the school — figures essentially unheard of. Teacher trust in the principal (94%) and instructional quality (100%) are also strong. Discipline is minimal — just one suspension in the most recent two reported years. However, two things parents should know: teacher-reported safety is 83%, well below the district average of 93%, and chronic absenteeism runs at 50.6%, meaning half the students miss enough school to be flagged. The overall attendance rate of 86.8% sits about 4.5 points below the district average. Taken together, this reads as a school where families feel deeply connected and supported, but where getting kids through the door every day — for a variety of reasons — remains a real challenge.

The student body is 41% Black, 32% Hispanic, and 19% Asian, with a diversity index of 73%. An economic need index of 85.1 means the vast majority of students come from low-income households, and 21% have IEPs. The school's demographics closely mirror the surrounding South Jamaica community, where the median household income is about $74,000 and roughly one in five households includes children. PTA fundraising is modest at $12 per student versus a district average of about $165 — a reflection of the economic reality of the families served rather than disengagement, and an important signal that enrichment programming runs on the school budget, not parent dollars.

South Jamaica is a working- and middle-class Queens neighborhood where roughly 20% of households include children and about 46% of residents own their homes. Median household income sits near $74,000, with a 13.4% poverty rate, and the median home value is just under $590,000. The 17.8% rate of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher reflects a community where many residents did not attend college. Families here tend to rely on cars, school buses, and local buses rather than the train.

The nearest subway access is the Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer station on the E, J, and Z lines, about a 17-minute walk away. Most families likely arrive by car, school bus, or local bus.