P.S. 101 School in the Gardens

At 89.6%, both ELA and math proficiency land well above the District 28 averages of about 63% in each subject. The trajectory has been climbing almost every year since 2016, when ELA was 68% and math 73.7%, and math peaked at 94.3% in 2023. Scores are consistent across grade levels — third, fourth, and fifth graders all land in the high 80s to mid-90s — suggesting the strong results aren't a one-grade phenomenon.

Day-to-day, this feels like a school in a good place. Parent trust runs near-universal (97% with teachers, 96% with the principal), teacher-reported safety is 99%, and there have been zero suspensions for three consecutive years. Attendance is strong at 94.3%, well above the district's 91.4%. One note worth flagging: the chronic absenteeism figure of 85.3% doesn't square with the strong average attendance — families may want to ask the school directly how that's measured. Teacher-principal trust at 80% is the one climate metric that runs below the otherwise near-ceiling scores.

The student body skews White (39%) and Asian (28%), with Hispanic students at 19% and multiracial 11% — only 3% of students are Black. That mix mirrors Forest Hills itself: a neighborhood with high educational attainment (over 60% of adults hold a bachelor's degree) and a median household income around $104,000. The economic need index of 17.6 reflects a relatively affluent population compared to the city as a whole, and the diversity index of 77% captures the multi-ethnic character of the student body within those boundaries.

Forest Hills is the kind of neighborhood where families plant roots for the long haul — median household income is $104,416, nearly half of residents own their homes, and the poverty rate sits under 8%. The area is well-educated (60.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher) and family-dense enough that elementary schools here are competitive zoned assignments. Schools like P.S. 101 often see families buying in specifically to claim a seat.

Families have solid transit access — the 75 Av station (E, F) is about an 8-minute walk, Forest Hills-71 Av (E, F, M, R) is roughly 9 minutes, and Kew Gardens-Union Tpke (E, F) is around 14 minutes.