At a Glance
A neighborhood elementary school in Jackson Heights where math results climb steadily and families report near-universal trust in the staff.
Best suited for
Families who live in the Jackson Heights zone, value a trusted and stable school community, and want their kids to grow up alongside neighborhood peers.
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 nearly twenty points over eight years, one of the stronger improvement trajectories in the district.
- A three-year zero-suspension record — no exclusions during a period when many schools rely on them.
- Survey trust scores are nearly ceiling-level: 100% strong family-teacher relationships, 98% teacher-reported safety, 97% parent-teacher trust.
- An unusually high family survey response rate (86%) suggests parents are engaged and willing to be heard.
- Serves a richly mixed Jackson Heights population with 22% Asian and 65% Hispanic enrollment.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 83.6% is a serious concern that doesn't show up in the daily attendance figure — worth asking the school how they're tackling it.
- PTA fundraising runs about $55 per student, well below the district average of $78, which may mean fewer enrichment extras funded by parents.
- ELA scores dipped sharply in 2024 before rebounding; consistency may still be a work in progress.
- Performance softens in upper grades — Grade 5 math (61.4%) is fifteen points below Grade 3 math (76.5%).
- It's a zoned school, not a screened program, so your child's seat depends on where you live.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 30
District 30 includes several standout citywide and gifted programs (the 30th Avenue School and Baccalaureate School both score in the mid-90s), and P.S. 212 sits below those flagships but clearly above the district average on nearly every measure. It's a reliable neighborhood school rather than a destination choice.
Academics
Math proficiency at 71.2% sits roughly nine points above the District 30 average of 62.2%, and ELA at 62.5% edges past the district's 60.7%. The math trajectory is the story here: scores climbed from 51.8% in 2017 to 71.2% in 2025, a near-twenty-point gain over eight years. ELA has been more of a zigzag — dipping to 53.2% in 2024 before bouncing back to 62.5% in 2025 — suggesting gains that haven't fully stabilized. Grade 3 leads the way (68% ELA, 76.5% math), with performance slipping a bit by Grade 5, a common pattern as testing stakes and content get harder.
Culture
The survey picture is almost uniformly bright: 100% of families report strong relationships with teachers, 97% trust their child's teacher, and 98% of teachers feel safe in the building. Teacher-reported instruction quality (98%) and principal trust (94%) are well above district averages. Daily attendance at 94.3% is strong. However, the chronic absenteeism rate of 83.6% is a real flag — meaning more than four out of five students miss 10% or more of school days, which can quietly erode academic gains even when daily attendance looks fine. Discipline is a non-issue: zero suspensions across the last three reporting years.
Community
P.S. 212 draws a student body that mirrors Jackson Heights itself: 65% Hispanic, 22% Asian, 10% White, with a diversity index in the middle range for the city. Seventeen percent of students have IEPs, and the economic need index of 62 points to a working-class-to-middle-class mix. The neighborhood around the school has a median household income around $72,800 and a homeownership rate under 40%, reflecting the renter-heavy character of Jackson Heights. It's a school where most families live within walking distance, not a destination program drawing commuters.
Neighborhood
Jackson Heights is one of the most immigrant-rich and family-dense corners of western Queens, with about 17% of households including children and a third of adults holding a bachelor's degree. The neighborhood runs on the 7 train, which threads straight through it and connects riders to Manhattan in about half an hour. Median home values hover near $550,000, though most residents rent. It's a place where a few blocks can feel like several countries, and where schools like P.S. 212 serve as neighborhood anchors.
Three 7 train stops serve the school: 82 St-Jackson Hts is about an 8-minute walk, 90 St-Elmhurst Av about 11 minutes, and 74 St-Broadway about 12 minutes.
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) · 473 families responded (86% 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. 212 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. 212 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. 212 a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 212 earns an overall rating of 67/100 — 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 30 average.
- What grades does P.S. 212 serve?
- P.S. 212 serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 212?
- P.S. 212 admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 212 public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 212 is a public school in NYC Community School District 30.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 212 in?
- P.S. 212 is in Jackson Heights, Queens.