At a Glance
A large Bedford Park elementary where academics have climbed sharply and families feel deeply connected to the school.
Best suited for
Families living in the Bedford Park and Kingsbridge area who want a neighborhood school with strong family-school communication, ELL support, and clear academic momentum — and who are comfortable with a large, bustling elementary environment.
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 has roughly doubled since 2022, climbing to 52.7% — well above the district average.
- Zero suspensions across three consecutive years, paired with 95% teacher-reported safety.
- Parent-principal trust at 99% and parent-teacher trust at 98% — an exceptionally strong family-school connection.
- Teacher-reported instruction quality at 96%, comfortably above the district's 91%.
- Steps from the Kingsbridge Rd subway hub, with three train lines accessible within a 10-minute walk.
Things to consider
- At 1,347 students, this is a notably large elementary school — the experience may feel less intimate than smaller zoned schools.
- Chronic absenteeism at 63.4% is high and can affect instructional continuity.
- Limited program offerings (richness score 19.3/100) — families seeking specific enrichment like dual language, arts integration, or a gifted program won't find it here.
- PTA fundraising is essentially zero per student, often a signal of limited family capacity rather than lack of engagement.
- Stronger zoned options exist nearby in District 10, including P.S. 024 and P.S. 081, which score higher overall.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 10
P.S. 086 sits roughly in the middle of District 10's elementary schools, with its 1.97/4 overall score modestly above the district average of 1.77. There are stronger zoned options in the district — P.S. 024 (92/100) and P.S. 081 (88/100) — so this school isn't a district standout on paper, but its recent academic gains and unusually strong family-trust numbers tell a more encouraging story than the score alone suggests.
Academics
After a dip during the pandemic-era years, both ELA and math proficiency at P.S. 086 have climbed sharply — ELA from 33.4% in 2022 to 45.9% in 2025, and math from 25.6% to 52.7% over the same span. Math now sits meaningfully above the District 10 average of 43.5%, while ELA is roughly at the district average of 45%. The grade-level breakdown is encouraging, with Grade 3 math at 63.9% and Grade 5 ELA at 52.9% — both above 50%. This is one of the clearer improvement stories in the district.
Culture
The day-to-day feel here is unusually warm. Parent satisfaction is 96% (above the district's 94%), and parent-teacher and parent-principal trust scores are 98% and 99% respectively — families feel genuinely heard. Teachers report 95% safety, well above the district's 87%, and zero suspensions across the past three years points to a restorative rather than punitive discipline approach. The real trade-off is chronic absenteeism at 63.4% — a meaningful concern that affects instructional continuity — even though the daily attendance rate is roughly in line with the district.
Community
P.S. 086's student body is 86% Hispanic, with smaller Black, Asian, and White populations, mirroring the surrounding Bedford Park neighborhood where roughly a quarter of residents live below the poverty line and median household income hovers around $44,000. The economic need index of 93.4% signals that the vast majority of students come from low-income households, and 23% of students have IEPs. ELL support is offered, reflecting the linguistic makeup of the community — this is a school deeply rooted in one neighborhood.
Neighborhood
Bedford Park is a dense, working-class slice of the central Bronx where most residents rent rather than own, with only about 7% of households owning their homes and just 14% of households having children under 18. Median household income sits around $44,000 and roughly a quarter of residents live in poverty. Getting around is easy by transit: the Kingsbridge Rd 4 train is essentially at the school's doorstep, with two more subway options within a 10-minute walk.
The Kingsbridge Rd 4 train is about a 2-minute walk, the B and D trains at the same station about 5 minutes, and the Fordham Rd 4 train roughly 10 minutes on foot — one of the better-connected elementary schools in the area.
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) · 269 families responded (25% rate)
Programs & Activities
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. 086 Kingsbridge Heights 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. 086 Kingsbridge Heights 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. 086 Kingsbridge Heights a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 086 Kingsbridge Heights earns an overall rating of 49/100 — 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 10 average.
- What grades does P.S. 086 Kingsbridge Heights serve?
- P.S. 086 Kingsbridge Heights serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 086 Kingsbridge Heights?
- P.S. 086 Kingsbridge Heights admits by application through a random lottery, with no academic screen.
- Is P.S. 086 Kingsbridge Heights public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 086 Kingsbridge Heights is a public school in NYC Community School District 10.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 086 Kingsbridge Heights in?
- P.S. 086 Kingsbridge Heights is in Bedford Park, Bronx.