P.S. 223 Lyndon B. Johnson

ELA proficiency of 36.4% and math at 36.3% land roughly 20 percentage points below the district averages of 56.1% and 57.3%, and the overall quality score of 1.45/4 trails the district's 2.27/4. That said, the trajectory is genuinely notable: ELA moved from 18.7% to 36.4% and math from 20.1% to 36.3% between 2024 and 2025 — the largest single-year improvement in the dataset. Grade 4 math stands out at 46.3%, and grade 5 ELA at 42.9%, suggesting the school is finding its footing in the upper elementary grades.

The climate story here is the strongest part of the school's profile. Parents give 94% satisfaction, with 96% trusting their child's teacher and 97% trusting the principal. Teachers report 100% strong student–teacher relationships, 95% instructional quality, and 98% safety — all above district averages. Teacher-to-teacher collegial trust at 87% is solid, and 92% trust the principal. There have been zero suspensions in each of the last three reported years, well below the district's 0.5% rate. The one real flag is attendance: 85.7% (vs. district 89.96%) and chronic absenteeism at 43.8% means nearly half the student body misses enough school to be flagged, which likely drags down academic outcomes.

The 478 students are about half Black (50%), with sizable Hispanic (21%), Asian (16%), and Native American (11%) populations — the Native American share is notably high for a NYC public school and worth asking about if you enroll. Average class size of 23.4 matches the district exactly. Nearly 1 in 5 students has an IEP (19%), and the economic need index of 69.4 means a clear majority qualify for free lunch. PTA fundraising totals just $10 per student — a fraction of the district's $120.71 average — which tells you parent dollars are limited here. The neighborhood around it, Baisley Park, has 17.7% of households with children and a 62.8% homeownership rate, so this is largely a community of families who have put down roots.

Baisley Park is a southeast Queens neighborhood of mostly owner-occupied single-family homes, with a median household income of $83,548, a poverty rate of 11.3%, and a median home value around $549,812. About 17.7% of households have children under 18, and only 20.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher — a community of working families more than college-degreed professionals. The neighborhood is not within a 20-minute walk of any subway station, so daily routines depend on school buses, MTA buses, or family carpools.

There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of the school — families here depend on yellow buses, MTA buses, or car pickups to get kids to and from school each day.