P.S. 088 Seneca

Both ELA (53.2%) and math (55%) now sit at or slightly above the district average, and the trajectory is the most remarkable part of this school's story. ELA proficiency climbed from a years-long 31–40% range to 53.2% in 2025 — a 14-point jump in one year — while math reached 55%, just above the district's 54.8%. Grade 5 leads the building at 60.2% ELA and 69.1% math; Grade 4 math lags at 40.5% and is the clear weak spot. Whatever shifted in instruction appears to be paying off, and the gains look real.

The day-to-day feel here is unusually positive on the survey dimensions that matter most: 95% parent satisfaction, 98% parent-teacher trust, 96% rating instruction highly, and 99% of teachers reporting they feel safe — all above district averages — and three straight years with zero suspensions suggests the school handles behavior thoughtfully rather than punitively. The disconnect is attendance: 74.2% of students are chronically absent, even though average daily attendance sits at 92.1%, just a hair below district. Families who engage love this place; getting kids through the door every day is the bigger hurdle.

About 668 students attend, with a student body that's 53% Hispanic, 36% White, and 8% Asian, with very small Black, multi-racial, and Native American shares. The surrounding neighborhood skews working-class and renter-occupied, with a median household income around $83,500 and just 20% homeownership; 20% of students have IEPs and the economic need index of 63.5 sits in the moderate-to-high range. The 61% family survey response rate (410 responses) is unusually high — parents here are paying close attention.

Ridgewood is a densely settled, mostly renter neighborhood on the Queens–Brooklyn border where about 17% of households have children and roughly a third of adults hold a bachelor's degree. Median home values above $1 million reflect the area's classic attached-brick housing stock, while the low homeownership rate points to a renter majority. Families are a real presence in the school-age population, and the M train runs right through the heart of the neighborhood.

The M line is the spine of this school's commute: Fresh Pond Rd (M) is about a 3-minute walk, Forest Av (M) about 8 minutes, and Middle Village–Metropolitan Av (M) about 13 minutes.