At a Glance
A southeast Queens elementary where math scores tripled in a decade and suspensions have stayed at zero
Best suited for
Families who want a small, tightly-knit zoned elementary with a proven track record of academic gains, are comfortable with car or bus commutes, and value a calm, low-suspension environment over flashy enrichment programs.
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 more than tripled in under a decade, from 21% in 2016 to 70.4% in 2025 — one of the more dramatic gains in the district.
- Three consecutive years with zero suspensions, against a district average suspension rate of nearly 1%.
- 97% parent-principal trust and 100% strong parent-teacher relationships signal an unusually connected school community.
- 5th graders reach 82% math proficiency — a full 28 points above the District 29 average.
- Test scores comfortably exceed district averages despite serving a higher-need population than the surrounding neighborhood.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 65.8% is high — ask the school whether it reflects transportation gaps, family work schedules, or something else.
- No subway access within a 20-minute walk means a car or yellow bus is essentially required for drop-off and pickup.
- The economic need index (67.8) is well above the neighborhood's actual poverty rate, meaning the school serves families from a wider, often harder-scrabble area than the immediate block.
- Class size of 23.1 is right at the district average — not unusually small.
- Survey response rates (65% family, 31 teachers) are healthy but not universal, so the climate picture is informed but not complete.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 29
P.S. 181's overall score of 2.83 out of 4 sits clearly above the District 29 average of 2.21, putting it among the stronger zoned public schools in southeast Queens — ahead of many zoned peers like P.S. 360 and P.S. 131, though behind the two Success Academy charters in the area.
Academics
Both ELA (71%) and math (70.4%) sit well above the District 29 averages of about 57% and 54% respectively, and the trajectory is the headline: math proficiency more than tripled between 2016 and 2025, while ELA nearly doubled. The gains are recent and sustained — math jumped from 54% to 70% in a single year (2024 to 2025) without giving back ELA ground. Performance also climbs with grade level: 5th graders hit 79% ELA and 82% math, well ahead of 3rd graders at 64%/65%, suggesting students accumulate real skills here year over year.
Culture
The survey numbers here are striking: 97% of parents trust the principal, 100% report strong relationships with teachers, and teacher-reported safety is 100% — all meaningfully above district averages. Zero suspensions in 2022-23, 2023-24, and again last year is genuinely unusual and points to a calm, well-managed building. The complication is chronic absenteeism at 65.8%, which is high even by city standards, though the 91% overall attendance rate sits roughly on par with the district. The pattern suggests that the climate inside the building is warm and orderly, but getting kids physically there every day is a real challenge for many families — worth asking the school about directly.
Community
The student body is 71% Black, 16% Hispanic, and 6% Asian, with an economic need index of 67.8 — meaning roughly two-thirds of students are considered economically disadvantaged. That figure is notably higher than what the surrounding neighborhood's 10% poverty rate would suggest, meaning the school draws families from beyond the immediate block who face real economic pressure. With 302 students and an average class size of 23.1, P.S. 181 is small enough that most families probably know each other by name.
Neighborhood
Springfield Gardens-Brookville is a solidly residential corner of southeast Queens, with a 64.5% homeownership rate, a median home value over $617K, and a poverty rate of just 10.1%. About a quarter of adults hold a bachelor's degree, household incomes are healthy, and 17% of households include children — the kind of stable, long-tenured neighborhood where families tend to stay put. The contrast between the area's affluence and the school's higher economic need index is the most interesting thing about the catchment.
P.S. 181 is beyond walking distance of any subway station, so most families get there by car or school bus rather than transit.
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) · 208 families responded (65% rate)
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Pre-K
P.S. 181 Brookfield 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. 181 Brookfield 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. 181 Brookfield a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 181 Brookfield earns an overall rating of 71/100 — 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. 181 Brookfield serve?
- P.S. 181 Brookfield serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 181 Brookfield?
- P.S. 181 Brookfield admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 181 Brookfield public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 181 Brookfield is a public school in NYC Community School District 29.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 181 Brookfield in?
- P.S. 181 Brookfield is in Springfield Gardens (South)-Brookville, Queens.