At a Glance
A zoned Astoria elementary where math scores run well above District 30 and the PTA out-fundraises its peers.
Best suited for
Families zoned for the school who want above-average academics, a calm and parent-engaged culture, and a true neighborhood elementary feel — and who plan to stay on top of attendance themselves.
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
- Math proficiency of 71.6% runs about nine points above the District 30 average, with a clear multi-year upward trend from 65.1% in 2016.
- PTA fundraising of $164 per student — more than double the district average — points to an unusually invested parent base.
- Zero suspensions in each of the last three reporting years, against a district average suspension rate of 0.28%.
- Family-side climate scores are at the very top of the NYC range: 97% parent satisfaction, 100% reporting strong teacher relationships, 98% parent-teacher trust.
- At 47% White, the student body is unusually White for a NYC zoned elementary, mirroring the demographic profile of north Astoria.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism is reported at 79.6% — a striking figure even in a post-pandemic NYC context — and is worth raising directly with the school about how attendance is being tracked and supported.
- Teacher-principal trust sits at 62%, a meaningful gap from the otherwise strong climate numbers; families should ask staff how leadership decisions land in the building.
- Within-school reading scores show a real dip in third grade (54.5% ELA proficiency), so families with kids entering grades 3-5 should ask how the school handles that reading transition.
- With so many students chronically absent by the city's definition, kids who do show up consistently are likely progressing better than the headline proficiency numbers suggest.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 30
P.S. 085 sits comfortably above the District 30 average across both core subjects and the overall quality score, but it lands well below the district's G&T-and-screened standouts like Baccalaureate School for Global Education and Hunters Point Elementary. It's a strong neighborhood zoned school in a district that also offers several more selective options nearby.
Academics
Math proficiency at 71.6% runs roughly nine points above the District 30 average of 62.2%, and the multi-year trend is genuinely climbing — from 65.1% in 2016 to 71.6% today, with a sharper recent jump from 61.1% in 2022 to 71.6% in 2025. ELA proficiency at 64.8% also beats the district average of 60.7%, though the ELA line has been flatter and more volatile: a 2023 peak of 74.7% gave way to 63.1% in 2024 and 64.8% in 2025. The within-school picture is uneven: third-grade ELA lands at 54.5%, well below fifth-grade ELA at 70.5%, suggesting reading instruction is where the early elementary years stall out.
Culture
Family-side climate is about as warm as these surveys get: 97% parent satisfaction, 100% reporting strong teacher relationships, 98% parent-teacher trust, and 96% teacher instruction quality — all well above district norms. Teachers also report the school feels safe at 94%, in line with the district. The one notable seam in the fabric is teacher-principal trust at 62%, the lowest climate indicator and a meaningful gap from the parent-facing numbers — the family experience appears notably warmer than the staff experience. Discipline is the clearest clean-line story: zero suspensions in each of the last three reporting years, against a district average suspension rate of 0.28%.
Community
The student body is 47% White, 29% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 4% multiracial, and 2% Black — a mix that mirrors the neighborhood's white-collar, Greek-and-Hispanic Astoria profile rather than the city as a whole. The economic need index of 45.4 sits in the moderate range, and PTA per-student giving of $164 is more than double the district average of $78 — a strong signal of an engaged, financially comfortable parent base. The surrounding neighborhood runs at 10.1% poverty and 52.6% bachelor's-or-higher, so most families here look a lot like the families sending kids here.
Neighborhood
Ditmars-Steinway is the north end of Astoria — solidly middle-class, well-educated, and family-leaning, with a median household income near $94,000 and just over half of adult residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher. About one in five households includes children under 18, and at nearly $974,000 in median home value the area shows the same price pressure as much of Western Queens, with ownership around 30%. Most families here get around on the N and W, which run along the Ditmars corridor two short stops apart.
Astoria-Ditmars Blvd (N,W) and Astoria Blvd (N,W) are both about a 5-minute walk from the school; 30 Av (N,W) is about a 12-minute walk.
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) · 333 families responded (63% 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. 085 Judge Charles Vallone 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. 085 Judge Charles Vallone 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. 085 Judge Charles Vallone a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 085 Judge Charles Vallone earns an overall rating of 68/100 — 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 above the District 30 average.
- What grades does P.S. 085 Judge Charles Vallone serve?
- P.S. 085 Judge Charles Vallone serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 085 Judge Charles Vallone?
- P.S. 085 Judge Charles Vallone admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 085 Judge Charles Vallone public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 085 Judge Charles Vallone is a public school in NYC Community School District 30.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 085 Judge Charles Vallone in?
- P.S. 085 Judge Charles Vallone is in Astoria (North)-Ditmars-Steinway, Queens.