P.S. 161 Arthur Ashe School

P.S. 161's 2025 numbers are a meaningful jump from where this school has been. ELA proficiency rose to 70.1% and math to 74.7%, both comfortably above the District 28 averages of roughly 63% in each subject. The overall quality score of 2.9 out of 4 also beats the district average of 2.51. Looking back, scores have bounced around for years — mid-50s ELA through the late 2010s, a pandemic-era dip into the mid-40s, and a slow recovery through 2024 (48% ELA, 64% math). What stands out is 2025's leap: a roughly 22-point jump in ELA and 10-point jump in math in a single year. Grade 3 results are the engine here, with 82% ELA proficiency and 83.6% math. Older grades are solid but more uneven.

The day-to-day feel at P.S. 161 is unusually positive. Teacher-reported safety is at 99%, parent-principal trust is at 97%, and teacher trust in instruction quality is at 98% — all well above District 28 averages. Parent satisfaction at 96% suggests families feel heard, and a 74% family survey response rate is high enough to take the number seriously. Most distinctive: zero suspensions for three straight school years through 2023-24, in a district that averages a 0.37% suspension rate. That's a notable climate signal. The one blemish is the chronic absenteeism rate at 67% — meaning more than two-thirds of students missed 10% or more of school days. Attendance generally (91.2%) is right at the district average, so the issue isn't kids not showing up on a given day but rather patterns of extended absence, with notably high rates among Asian and Native American students.

P.S. 161's student body is majority Asian (68%), with sizable Hispanic (16%) and Native American (9%) populations, and smaller Black (4%), White (3%), and multiracial (2%) shares. The diversity index sits at 59%, lower than the citywide average — meaning the school is less of a mixing bowl and more of a community where one group is clearly the majority. South Richmond Hill itself is a middle-income, majority-homeowner neighborhood with a 12% poverty rate and a median household income near $88,000, so the economic need index of 67.8 reflects a working-family population rather than deep poverty. About 14% of students have IEPs.

South Richmond Hill is a working- and middle-class Queens neighborhood where most families own their homes (57% homeownership, median home value around $704,000) and roughly one in five households includes children. The median household income of about $88,000 and 12% poverty rate put it comfortably in the middle of NYC's economic spectrum. About 20% of neighborhood adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Getting here without a car is doable but takes planning. The closest subway is the A train at Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd, about an 8-minute walk. The A at 111 St is around 15 minutes on foot, and the J/Z at 121 St is about a 16-minute walk.