P.S. 112 Dutch Kills

Test scores here — 39.2% in both ELA and math — place the school significantly below the District 30 averages of roughly 61% in ELA and 62% in math. The school earned an overall quality score of 1.57 out of 4, compared to the district average of 2.46. Looking at the trend, scores peaked in 2017 (44.8% ELA, 49.5% math) but have seesawed since, with a recent uptick in 2025 bringing ELA back to 39.2% from a low of 30.1% in 2024. Grade 5 students outperform peers in math (46.9%), while Grade 4 shows the most room for growth at 28.1% math proficiency. In plain terms: students are working to catch up to where District 30 schools typically start, not racing ahead.

This is where P.S. 112 tells a different story. Parent satisfaction runs at 90%, and the trust metrics are extraordinary: 95% of parents trust teachers, 95% trust the principal, and 99% of teachers trust the principal. Teachers rate instruction quality at 93% and report feeling 99% safe in the building. These are numbers many affluent districts would envy. However, there's a significant tension: chronic absenteeism sits at a striking 54.6% — more than half of students are missing significant school time, with female students (57.3%) and White students (79.1%) missing even more than the average. The school has maintained zero suspensions for three consecutive years, which reflects either exceptionally strong behavior management or very different disciplinary approaches compared to peer schools.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic (38%), followed by Asian (29%), Black (20%), and White (10%), with an economic need index of 80.3 — meaning most families face significant financial hardship. Sixteen percent of students have IEPs. The school raises $36 per student through PTA efforts, considerably less than the district average of $78 per student, which may reflect the neighborhood's lower homeownership rate (16.4%) and higher poverty indicators. Yet 283 families responded to the school survey — a 65% response rate — suggesting engaged parents despite resource constraints.

The Queensbridge-Ravenswood-Dutch Kills neighborhood has a safety score of just 36.4 — among the lower-rated areas in the city — though transit access is moderate (57.47). The area is predominantly rental (84% homeownership), with a median home value of $841,040 reflecting broader Queens real estate trends rather than neighborhood wealth. Only 10.4% of households have children, which helps explain why this zoned school draws from a relatively small family population. The neighborhood has elevated environmental health concerns including higher asthma rates and some lead exposure indicators.

The school is located near 37th Avenue in an area with moderate walkability and transit access. Families in the Dutch Kills zoned area can walk, but many likely rely on buses or cars given the neighborhood's lower family density.