At a Glance
A large, academically above-average elementary school in Kew Gardens Hills where parent trust runs high but chronic absenteeism is hard to ignore
Best suited for
Families prioritizing solid academic results and a calm, suspension-free environment who can handle a bus-based commute and want a genuinely diverse, Asian-led community school in a settled middle-class neighborhood.
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 roughly ten points since 2016, a meaningful long-run trajectory.
- Zero suspensions for three straight years — a rare record in District 25 that points to a restorative, inclusive discipline approach.
- Parent-to-teacher trust (97%) and parent-to-principal trust (95%) are among the strongest in the district.
- A genuinely diverse student body led by a 49% Asian population that reflects Kew Gardens Hills's immigrant-rooted character.
- Fifth-graders hit 75% ELA proficiency — the strongest cohort in the building and a sign that the school builds skills over time.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 73.9% is striking — even strong test scores can't fully compensate for the seat time being missed.
- Teacher-principal trust at 47% suggests real friction between staff and leadership that parents may not see from the outside.
- Teacher-reported safety at 87% sits well below the district's 97% — worth asking the school directly what that reflects day-to-day.
- PTA fundraising is just $1 per student versus the district average of about $50, which limits what the parent body can fund for enrichment, trips, and extras.
- No subway access means the daily commute depends on bus or car, which can be a real barrier for families without flexible schedules.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 25
P.S. 165 sits comfortably above the District 25 average on the overall quality score (2.78 vs 2.69) and outpaces the district on both ELA and math, though it doesn't crack the top tier of peer schools like The Active Learning Elementary School or P.S. 79 Francis Lewis.
Academics
P.S. 165's 67.6% ELA proficiency and 71.6% math proficiency both sit comfortably above District 25 averages of roughly 65% and 70%. Math has climbed steadily from 61% in 2016 to its current mark — a meaningful ten-point gain over the decade. ELA has been more of a rollercoaster, dipping during the pandemic years before rebounding to its strongest showing yet in 2025. Fifth-graders lead the building, hitting 75% ELA proficiency, which suggests skills compound as students move through the grades.
Culture
Parents clearly love this school — 93% are satisfied, and family-to-teacher trust hits 97%. Inside the building, the picture is more mixed: only 47% of teachers say they trust their principal, teacher-reported safety is 87% (well below the district's 97%), and chronic absenteeism sits at a striking 73.9%. Zero suspensions across three straight years signals a calm, inclusive approach to behavior — but the absenteeism rate means many kids are missing the kind of seat time that turns test scores into lasting learning.
Community
P.S. 165's 656 students form one of the more Asian-majority elementary bodies in the district at 49%, with substantial Hispanic (22%) and Black (15%) populations rounding out the room. A diversity index of 75% reflects real mixing, not token representation. The economic need index of 63.6% means most students come from lower- to middle-income families, which tracks with Kew Gardens Hills's median household income around $85,000 and a 12% neighborhood poverty rate.
Neighborhood
Kew Gardens Hills is a middle-class Queens neighborhood built around families — a quarter of households have children under 18, nearly half of adults hold a bachelor's degree, and homeownership sits above 50%, signaling a relatively stable, settled community. The trade-off is transit: with no subway stations within a 20-minute walk, most families depend on buses, carpools, or yellow buses to get their kids to school each morning.
No subway stations are within a 20-minute walk, so most families rely on buses, carpools, or school transportation to reach P.S. 165.
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) · 238 families responded (40% 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. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum 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. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum 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. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum earns an overall rating of 70/100 — 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 in line with the District 25 average.
- What grades does P.S. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum serve?
- P.S. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum?
- P.S. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum is a public school in NYC Community School District 25.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum in?
- P.S. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum is in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens.