At a Glance
A predominantly Asian elementary school in Flushing where families trust the principal and teachers feel safe — but attendance tells a complicated story.
Best suited for
Families who live in the Flushing-Willets Point attendance zone, value a small school with high family trust and zero suspensions, and are willing to look beyond the chronic absenteeism numbers and slightly-below-average proficiency to find a warm, safe elementary experience.
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
- Parent-principal trust at 99% is unusually high — families clearly feel a real connection to school leadership.
- Zero suspensions for three consecutive years, paired with 100% teacher-reported safety.
- A predominantly Asian student body (63%) reflecting Flushing's immigrant character.
- Small enrollment of around 350 students allows for a tight-knit elementary community.
- Special education classes on-site (SE designation) keep inclusion within the building.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism of 75.7% is striking — most students miss 10%+ of the school year, and 91% of Asian students fall into that category.
- Academic results trail district averages in both ELA and math by a few points.
- PTA fundraising is less than half the district average, which can mean fewer enrichment extras funded by parents.
- The nearest subway (Flushing-Main St on the 7) is a 15-minute walk — not an easy commute on foot in winter.
- Only 14% of neighborhood households have children, so the immediate family peer group outside school may be thinner than in other parts of Queens.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 25
District 25 includes some of Queens' strongest elementaries — the Active Learning Elementary and P.S. 79 Francis Lewis score in the 90s — and P.S. 214 sits below the district average of 2.69/4 with a 2.49. It's a solidly middle-of-the-pack zoned school rather than a standout.
Academics
ELA proficiency of 60.8% runs about 4 points below the District 25 average of roughly 65%, and math proficiency of 63.6% trails the district's 69.6% by 6 points. The school's trajectory has been bumpy — proficiency climbed meaningfully from 2016 through 2019, then dropped in 2022 and dipped again in 2024 before recovering to current levels. Scores are fairly consistent across grades 3-5, suggesting steady instruction rather than a particular grade acting as a weak link.
Culture
The school's most striking climate numbers are the trust scores: 99% of parents trust the principal, 98% trust teachers, and 100% of teachers say they feel safe at work — all well above district norms. There are zero suspensions, and that pattern has held for three straight years. But chronic absenteeism sits at 75.7%, meaning the vast majority of students missed at least 10% of the school year, and that rate climbs to 90.7% among Asian students (the school's largest group). The combination of high family satisfaction and high absence is unusual — it suggests parents who feel heard but a community where daily attendance is not the norm.
Community
The student body is 63% Asian, 26% Hispanic, 7% Black, and 2% White — a much more Asian-concentrated mix than Flushing, which is itself a majority-immigrant neighborhood. Two-thirds of students qualify for economic need, and 15% have IEPs, so the school carries both a meaningful share of high-needs students and a fairly typical special education caseload. PTA fundraising runs just $20 per student — less than half the district average — which often reflects either a smaller parent base actively fundraising or limited disposable income for extras.
Neighborhood
Flushing-Willets Point is a dense, working-class neighborhood in northern Queens where median household income sits around $50,000 and about one in five residents lives below the poverty line. Just 14% of households have children, which is on the low side for a family neighborhood and partly reflects the area's mix of immigrants, seniors, and small households. Only about a quarter of adults hold a bachelor's degree, and homeownership is low at 25%.
The school is about a 15-minute walk from the Flushing-Main St station on the 7 train, which is the only nearby subway option — most families will likely drive, take a bus, or walk.
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) · 140 families responded (45% 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. 214 Cadwallader Colden 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. 214 Cadwallader Colden 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. 214 Cadwallader Colden a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 214 Cadwallader Colden 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. 214 Cadwallader Colden serve?
- P.S. 214 Cadwallader Colden serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 214 Cadwallader Colden?
- P.S. 214 Cadwallader Colden admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 214 Cadwallader Colden public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 214 Cadwallader Colden is a public school in NYC Community School District 25.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 214 Cadwallader Colden in?
- P.S. 214 Cadwallader Colden is in Flushing-Willets Point, Queens.