At a Glance
A math-strong elementary in southeast Queens where Asian American families drive a tight-knit, high-trust community
Best suited for
Families in the zoned area who value strong math outcomes, low suspension rates, and an active parent community — and who are prepared to engage directly with the attendance question.
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 climbed to 78.7%, roughly 25 points above the district average and the highest among traditional public schools in District 29.
- Zero suspensions over three consecutive years and 100% teacher-reported safety — exceptional for a NYC elementary.
- Parent trust numbers (96% parent-teacher and parent-principal trust) suggest unusually strong home-school partnership.
- PTA fundraising of $43 per student beats the district average of $33, indicating an active parent base supplementing classroom resources.
- 75% Asian American student body makes this one of the more culturally specific elementary schools in southeast Queens.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism of 69.6% is a serious red flag that the survey scores don't resolve — ask the principal exactly who is missing school and why.
- The 10- to 17-minute walk to the nearest F train stations means most commuting families will drive, bus, or rely on district transportation rather than the subway.
- With 75% of one demographic group, families seeking a more racially mixed elementary experience may want to weigh this carefully.
- Average class size of 23.1 matches the district — there are no small-class-size advantages here.
- ELA scores have bounced around the high 50s to low 70s over the past decade, so the strong math story may not transfer evenly to reading.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 29
P.S. 131 sits clearly in the top tier of District 29 traditional public elementary schools — its 2.88/4 overall score trails only the Success Academy charters in the immediate peer group, and exceeds most zoned neighbors by a wide margin. It outperforms the district average on virtually every academic measure.
Academics
Math is the headline here — proficiency has climbed from 65.8% in 2016 to 78.7% in 2025, with Grade 4 hitting an impressive 85.1%. ELA is more of a roller coaster, swinging between 58% and 71% over the years, but the most recent figure of 65.4% still beats the district average of 56.9% by nearly nine points. Compared to peers in District 29, where the district average math score is 53.7%, P.S. 131 is in a different tier. Trajectory is clearly improving in math and roughly steady — but above district — in ELA.
Culture
The day-to-day feel here is unusually calm — zero suspensions for three years running, 100% of teachers reporting their school is safe, and parent-teacher and parent-principal trust both at 96%. That's the kind of numbers you almost never see. But chronic absenteeism of 69.6% is striking and out of step with the otherwise rosy climate picture; only 30% of students are showing up regularly enough to count as chronically present. The strong parent survey results (92% satisfied, 79% response rate) tell us engaged families feel heard, but they don't fully explain who's missing school — that's the conversation worth having at a tour.
Community
Three out of four students here are Asian, with smaller Hispanic (14%), White (5%), Black (4%), and other groups making up the rest — a different demographic fingerprint than most District 29 schools, which tend to be more Black and Hispanic. The neighborhood reflects this too: Jamaica Hills-Briarwood is solidly middle class with a median income around $84K and a 44% college-educated rate. With 15% of students on IEPs and an economic need index of 69, there's real economic and learning diversity underneath the dominant demographic story.
Neighborhood
Jamaica Hills-Briarwood is a family-dense pocket of southeast Queens where nearly a quarter of households have children under 18, household incomes run in the mid-$80Ks, and about 39% of homes are owner-occupied. Education levels are above the borough average, with 44% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. The neighborhood has the feel of a place where multigenerational households and school routines are woven into daily life. Getting here from the subway takes some patience — it's not a step-out-the-door location.
The closest subway is 169 St on the F line, about a 10-minute walk; Jamaica-179 St (F) is roughly 13 minutes and Parsons Blvd (F) about 17 minutes — most families driving or walking locally.
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) · 589 families responded (79% 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. 131 Abigail Adams 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. 131 Abigail Adams 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. 131 Abigail Adams a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 131 Abigail Adams earns an overall rating of 72/100 — 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 29 average.
- What grades does P.S. 131 Abigail Adams serve?
- P.S. 131 Abigail Adams serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 131 Abigail Adams?
- P.S. 131 Abigail Adams admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 131 Abigail Adams public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 131 Abigail Adams is a public school in NYC Community School District 29.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 131 Abigail Adams in?
- P.S. 131 Abigail Adams is in Jamaica Hills-Briarwood, Queens.