At a Glance
An inquiry-focused zoned elementary in eastern Queens showing its strongest test results in nearly a decade
Best suited for
Families zoned for the area who want a small, relationship-driven neighborhood school with a growing academic track record and don't mind a car-dependent commute.
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
- 2025 state test scores are the school's best in nearly a decade, with math essentially matching the district average
- Parent trust in teachers (95%) and leadership (96%) is among the strongest you'll find anywhere in the city
- Zero suspensions in 2023-24, continuing a clean discipline record
- Grade 5 math proficiency hits 84.6%, a real strength in the upper grades
- Inquiry-based learning is built into the school's identity and name
Things to consider
- ELA proficiency at 55.9% still trails the district average of roughly 65% by a meaningful margin
- Chronic absenteeism at 63.5% — and an extraordinary 87.9% among Asian students — is a serious red flag families should ask about
- Test scores have swung significantly year to year, so the recent gains aren't guaranteed to hold
- No nearby subway makes this a car- or bus-dependent commute from much of the zone
- High economic need (82.2%) means the PTA budget is modest at roughly $50 per student, so enrichment fundraising is limited
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 25
P.S. 201's overall score of 2.46/4 sits below the District 25 average of 2.69/4 and well behind top peers like The Active Learning Elementary School and P.S. 79 Francis Lewis. It's a middle-of-the-pack district school that has recently gained ground and is worth watching.
Academics
The 2025 numbers are a notable jump: ELA climbed from 40% to 55.9% and math from 48.1% to 67%, putting math essentially at the district average (69.6%) but ELA still well behind (~65%). The picture is uneven by grade — Grade 5 math proficiency hits a strong 84.6%, while Grade 4 ELA sits at 46.7%. The trajectory has been bumpy: scores peaked in 2019, dropped sharply in 2022, and have climbed since, so the direction is clearly upward but the volatility means parents shouldn't read a single year in isolation.
Culture
The school's climate numbers tell a story of strong relationships paired with real attendance challenges. Parent-teacher trust (95%), parent-principal trust (96%), and teacher-reported strong relationships (100%) are all exceptionally high — families clearly feel heard and supported. On the flip side, chronic absenteeism sits at 63.5% (well above typical), attendance at 90.1% trails the district's 94%, and discipline is essentially a non-issue with zero suspensions.
Community
P.S. 201's 410 students reflect a mostly Black and Hispanic student body (38% and 41%, respectively), with an Asian population at 14%. The economic need index of 82.2% means most families qualify for free or reduced lunch, and 23% of students have IEPs — both well above citywide norms. The surrounding neighborhood, where median household income is about $77,000 and 21% of households include children, skews middle-income, suggesting the school draws families from a wider area than just its immediate blocks.
Neighborhood
The Pomonok-Electchester-Hillcrest area in eastern Queens is a stable, family-oriented neighborhood where nearly half of households own their homes and the median home value sits around $764,000. About a fifth of households include children, and roughly a third of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher — typical for this stretch of Queens. It's a neighborhood built around driving and buses more than rail transit.
There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk, so families here rely on buses or cars to get to school.
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) · 212 families responded (73% 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. 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research 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. 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research 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. 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research earns an overall rating of 62/100 — 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 below the District 25 average.
- What grades does P.S. 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research serve?
- P.S. 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research?
- P.S. 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research is a public school in NYC Community School District 25.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research in?
- P.S. 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research is in Pomonok-Electchester-Hillcrest, Queens.