At a Glance
A high-performing, suburban-style elementary in eastern Queens with deep parent involvement and a near-spotless safety record.
Best suited for
Families who already live in or are relocating to eastern Queens, want a stable suburban-style public school with strong academics and involved parents, and don't need subway access to get there.
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
- Zero suspensions for three consecutive years (2021-22 through 2023-24)
- 100% teacher-reported safety and 99% teacher-principal trust
- Family survey response rate of 87% — far above what most schools achieve
- ELA and math proficiency both meaningfully above district averages
- PTA fundraising of $141 per student, well above the district norm
Things to consider
- No subway access within a 20-minute walk — commuting without a car is impractical
- Chronic absenteeism reported at 89.5%, unusually high despite strong average daily attendance
- ELA scores have bounced around over the past decade, so the 2025 jump may or may not hold
- Average class size of 25.5 matches the district average — no small-class advantage
Based on 2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 26
P.S. 221 sits in the upper tier of District 26 elementary schools, alongside Douglaston-area peers like P.S. 98, P.S. 94, and P.S. 203, all of which post higher composite ratings in the low-to-mid 90s. The school outperforms district norms on test scores, parent satisfaction, teacher instruction quality, and safety reporting, even if its overall rating trails the neighborhood's top performers by a few points.
Academics
P.S. 221 outperforms District 26 averages in both ELA (81.6% vs. 75.8%) and math (82.2% vs. 80.2%), earning an overall score of 3.28/4 against the district's 3.12/4. Math has been the steadier subject over the past decade, hovering in the high 70s to low 80s, while ELA has been more volatile — dipping to 67.9% in 2024 before rebounding sharply to 81.6% in 2025. Scores are strong across grade bands, with fifth-graders leading in ELA (86.3%) and fourth-graders leading in math (85.2%).
Culture
The day-to-day feel here is calm and confident. Teachers rate safety at 100%, and the school has reported zero suspensions for three straight years — a clean record in a district where the average suspension rate hovers near 0.1%. Parents report 95% satisfaction, with 97% trusting both their child's teacher and the principal, and 93% saying relationships feel strong. Teacher responses echo that picture: 99% trust the principal, 93% rate instruction quality positively, and 97% feel collegial trust among staff. One flag worth raising is the chronic absenteeism rate of 89.5% — high across every demographic subgroup — even though average daily attendance (95.2%) edges above the district norm.
Community
Roughly 65% of students identify as Asian, 16% as white, 14% as Hispanic, 3% as Black, and 1% as multiracial, giving a diversity index of 56%. The student body skews less economically stressed than the citywide average, with an economic need index of 34.5%, and 13% of students have IEPs. PTA fundraising runs about $141 per student, well above the district's roughly $96-per-student average, reflecting an active parent base with resources to contribute.
Neighborhood
Douglaston-Little Neck is one of the more suburban-feeling corners of Queens. Median household income sits near $112,000, the poverty rate is 7%, and 74% of homes are owner-occupied — unusual for New York City. More than half of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about a fifth of households include children. The housing stock is largely single-family with a median value around $763,000, which tells you most families here have put down roots.
There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of the school, so most families arrive by car, school bus, or on foot from nearby homes.
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) · 440 families responded (87% 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. 221 The North Hills 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. 221 The North Hills 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. 221 The North Hills School a good school?
- On Motley, P.S. 221 The North Hills School earns an overall rating of 82/100 — 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 in line with the District 26 average.
- What grades does P.S. 221 The North Hills School serve?
- P.S. 221 The North Hills School serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into P.S. 221 The North Hills School?
- P.S. 221 The North Hills School admits by zone — children who live in its attendance zone get a guaranteed seat.
- Is P.S. 221 The North Hills School public, charter, or private?
- P.S. 221 The North Hills School is a public school in NYC Community School District 26.
- What neighborhood is P.S. 221 The North Hills School in?
- P.S. 221 The North Hills School is in Douglaston-Little Neck, Queens.