At a Glance
A Forest Hills zoned elementary where math scores are surging and parent trust runs unusually deep
Best suited for
Forest Hills families who want a zoned elementary with a calm culture, high parent trust, and a clear upward academic trajectory — especially families comfortable engaging directly with teachers around attendance and instruction consistency.
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 of 76.5% in 2025 is the highest in the school's recent history and well above the district average.
- Zero suspensions in each of the last three reported years, against a district average suspension rate of about 0.37%.
- Parent-principal trust and parent-teacher trust both at 97%, unusually high for any NYC elementary.
- Teacher-reported safety at 98%, well above the district average of about 93%.
- A clear upward academic trajectory across nearly a decade, including a strong rebound after a 2024 dip.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 68.9% is the school's biggest soft spot and is especially high among Asian students.
- PTA fundraising at roughly $35 per student is far below the district average of about $165, which can limit enrichment programming.
- Teacher instruction quality rated at 88% sits below the district average of about 92%, suggesting some classroom-consistency questions worth asking on a tour.
- Stronger peer schools in District 28 (P.S. 196, the Academy for Excellence through the Arts, P.S. 101) post higher overall scores, so zoned families have competitive alternatives to weigh.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 28
Within District 28, P.S. 175 sits in the upper-middle of the pack — above the district average overall score of 2.51 but below the top performers like P.S. 196 and the Academy for Excellence through the Arts. It's a solid, improving zoned option rather than a district standout.
Academics
P.S. 175's 2025 results — 67.1% ELA proficiency and 76.5% math — run ahead of District 28 averages of roughly 63% in each subject, with math leading the way. The longer story is even more striking: ELA has climbed from about 49% in 2016 to 67% in 2025, and math has jumped from 57% to 76.5%, with a noticeable 2024 dip that the school clearly rebounded from. Third- and fourth-graders are posting math proficiency in the low 80s, signaling that the building's strongest work is happening in the earlier tested grades.
Culture
The trust signals here are exceptional: 97% of parents say they trust both their teacher and the principal, and 95% report strong relationships — numbers most schools would envy. Teachers give the principal an 86% trust rating and rate school safety at 98%, both solid. The one number parents should look at carefully is chronic absenteeism at 68.9% — high overall and particularly elevated among Asian students (74.4%), which can quietly erode instructional consistency even when the school feels calm. Attendance itself at 91.8% sits just above the district average, and the discipline picture is the cleanest in the area: zero suspensions in 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24, against a district average suspension rate of about 0.37%.
Community
P.S. 175's student body mirrors its Forest Hills surroundings: 47% White and 32% Asian, with 16% Hispanic and a small multiracial slice, on a diversity index of 67%. The economic need index of 48.9 sits below the citywide norm, reflecting a neighborhood where median household income clears $104,000 and most adults hold a bachelor's degree. The 15% IEP share is close to the city average, and the PTA raises roughly $35 per student — a fraction of the district average of about $165, which usually tracks with how much fundraising time families put in.
Neighborhood
Forest Hills is a settled, well-educated neighborhood where more than six in ten adults hold a bachelor's degree and homeownership approaches 50%, giving the area a stable, long-term feel. About 18% of households have children, and with a poverty rate under 8%, most families here are middle-class homeowners or renters with steady incomes. The median home value north of $600,000 tells you this is a neighborhood where families put down roots, not a transient pocket.
The closest subway is 67 Av (M, R) at about a 7-minute walk, with 63 Dr-Rego Park (M, R) around 11 minutes and Forest Hills-71 Av (E, F, M, R) about 16 minutes away — comfortable walking distance for most families.
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) · 252 families responded (37% 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. 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School 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. 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School 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. 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School 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 28 average.
- What grades does P.S. 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School serve?
- P.S. 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School?
- P.S. 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School is a public school in NYC Community School District 28.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School in?
- P.S. 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School is in Forest Hills, Queens.