At a Glance
A zoned Ridgewood elementary where test scores have surged, suspensions are nonexistent, and parents show up in force.
Best suited for
Families zoned for Ridgewood who want an engaged school community with strong parent voice, a calm building, and a recent track record of academic growth — and who can prioritize getting their kids 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
- ELA proficiency jumped from 34.6% to 55.2% in three years — one of the steepest recent rebounds in the district.
- Zero suspensions for three consecutive years, exceptionally rare at any school.
- PTA raises about $76 per student, more than double the district average of $32.
- A 90% family survey response rate signals unusually deep parent engagement.
- Fourth-grade ELA proficiency at 69.7% runs well above what most grade levels post.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 60.5% means many students are missing 18 or more days a year — a real concern even if the school itself feels warm.
- Class size of 24.5 is right at the district average, so don't expect unusually small groups.
- Math proficiency has been more volatile than ELA — 26% in 2022, 51% today — suggesting results could shift again.
- An economic need index of 66.5 indicates a substantial share of students from lower-income households, even though the surrounding neighborhood is mixed.
- Black and Asian enrollment are both very thin, so families looking for those peer communities may want to look elsewhere in the district.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 24
P.S. 071's overall score of 2.12/4 is essentially tied with the District 24 average, placing it as a typical school rather than a clear standout or struggle. Among its district peers it lands in the middle of the pack — strong on parent engagement and discipline, average on the headline rating.
Academics
The 2025 numbers tell a striking turnaround story: ELA proficiency climbed from 34.6% in 2022 to 55.2% in 2025, and math rebounded from 26.3% to 51% over the same window. ELA now sits comfortably above the district average of 51.1%, while math lands just below the district's 54.8%. The trajectory is the most compelling thing here — something has clearly shifted in instruction or preparation, and fourth-graders in particular are performing well, with nearly 70% proficient in ELA.
Culture
The day-to-day feel here is unusually warm. Every teacher survey measure lands in the 89–100% range, including perfect scores on strong relationships and instruction quality, and 99% on safety. Parent satisfaction is 94%, and a 90% family survey response rate — extraordinarily high — suggests real two-way engagement. The flip side: chronic absenteeism at 60.5% is steep, meaning many students miss significant school even with attendance at 90%. On the bright side, the school has reported zero suspensions for three straight years, which is rare in any district.
Community
P.S. 071's enrollment of 572 is majority Hispanic (56%) with a substantial White contingent (32%) — a mix that mirrors Ridgewood's identity as a neighborhood where Latino and white working-class families have long lived side by side. About two-thirds of students qualify for economic need, somewhat lower than you'd expect given the neighborhood's median income of $83,559, suggesting the school draws from a mix of household means. With 15% of students in special education, the school carries a meaningful IEP population within a body that's diverse but not heavily so.
Neighborhood
Ridgewood is a tight-knit Queens neighborhood where roughly 17% of households have kids and homeownership is rare — only about 20% of residents own their homes, with a median home value north of $1 million that reflects the market even though most residents rent. The poverty rate sits around 13% and just over a third of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a neighborhood of mixed means where families tend to stay for the long haul. P.S. 071 serves as one of several zoned elementary anchors in this part of the borough.
The school is about a 10-minute walk from the Forest Av M train, with Seneca Av (M) about 13 minutes away and Fresh Pond Rd (M) roughly 12 minutes — all on the same M line.
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) · 418 families responded (90% 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. 071 Forest 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. 071 Forest 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. 071 Forest a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 071 Forest earns an overall rating of 53/100 — 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 24 average.
- What grades does P.S. 071 Forest serve?
- P.S. 071 Forest serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 071 Forest?
- P.S. 071 Forest admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 071 Forest public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 071 Forest is a public school in NYC Community School District 24.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 071 Forest in?
- P.S. 071 Forest is in Ridgewood, Queens.