At a Glance
A small, top-performing zoned elementary in leafy Douglaston where PTA dollars flow freely and math scores are nearly perfect.
Best suited for
Families zoned for the school who want small enrollment, high academic expectations, and a highly engaged parent community — particularly those already living in or moving into the Douglaston-Little Neck area and able to navigate the car-dependent commute.
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 at 96.9% — roughly 17 points above the district average and approaching ceiling
- PTA fundraising at $388/student, roughly four times the district average
- Zero suspensions sustained across three consecutive school years
- 100% teacher-reported safety and 100% teacher collegial trust — both exceptionally rare
- Consistently strong scores across all tested grade bands (3, 4, and 5)
Things to consider
- No subway access within a 20-minute walk makes this a car- or bus-dependent school
- Small enrollment (229 students) means fewer classmates, electives, and grade-level peers than larger schools
- Chronic absenteeism varies meaningfully by demographic group, with Hispanic students disproportionately affected
- As a zoned school, admission is tied to address, so the only path in is living in the zone
Based on 2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 26
P.S. 98 sits in the top tier of District 26 elementary schools — its overall score of 3.77/4 is well above the district average of 3.12/4, and it ranks just behind P.S. 94 (94/100) and P.S. 203 (92/100) among peers. Within a district already known for strong suburban schools, this one stands out for both its academics and its unusually high parent fundraising.
Academics
Math proficiency of 96.9% and ELA at 91.6% in 2025 place P.S. 98 firmly above district averages (math ~80%, ELA ~76%). The trend is strongly upward — ELA bottomed at 68.8% in 2022 but has climbed every year since, while math has now exceeded 88% for three straight years and is approaching ceiling. Scores by grade band are remarkably consistent (ELA 90.9–92.6%, math 96.4–97.1%), suggesting the school's results aren't driven by a single strong cohort.
Culture
Survey responses paint an exceptionally positive picture: teachers rate their own instructional quality, collegial trust, and school safety at 100%. Parents report 96% trust in teachers and 91% trust in the principal, with overall parent satisfaction at 92% — essentially matching the district average despite the school's stronger academics. Zero suspensions across three consecutive years (2021-22 through 2023-24) suggests a calm, well-managed environment. The day-to-day feel is one of high trust, high expectations, and minimal disciplinary friction.
Community
The student body mirrors the surrounding neighborhood — Asian (39%) and White (35%) make up nearly three-quarters of enrollment, with Hispanic students at 20% and smaller representation from other groups. Economic need is relatively low (index of 26.8), consistent with the area's higher household incomes and 74% homeownership rate. IEP enrollment sits at 19%. With only 229 students, the parent community is small but unusually engaged — PTA fundraising averages $388 per student, roughly four times the district norm.
Neighborhood
Douglaston-Little Neck is a quiet, suburban-feeling corner of eastern Queens where most families own their homes and median household income exceeds $111,000. About 20% of households include children, and more than half of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The trade-off is transportation: this corner of Queens is firmly car-dependent, and families without a vehicle will need to plan around school buses or other arrangements.
There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of the school — commuting without a car will require planning.
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) · 90 families responded (34% 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. 098 The Douglaston School 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. 098 The Douglaston School 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. 098 The Douglaston School a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 098 The Douglaston School earns an overall rating of 94/100 — 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 26 average.
- What grades does P.S. 098 The Douglaston School serve?
- P.S. 098 The Douglaston School serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 098 The Douglaston School?
- P.S. 098 The Douglaston School admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 098 The Douglaston School public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 098 The Douglaston School is a public school in NYC Community School District 26.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 098 The Douglaston School in?
- P.S. 098 The Douglaston School is in Douglaston-Little Neck, Queens.