P.S. 81Q Jean Paul Richter

Math proficiency at 68.1% runs roughly 13 points above the district average of 54.8% — a striking result and the strongest year on record for this school. ELA proficiency at 48.2% lands slightly below the district average of 51.1%, with Grade 3 leading the way at 55.4% ELA and 77.4% math. Test scores here are volatile year-to-year — math dipped to 43.1% as recently as 2024 before rebounding sharply — so the most recent jump is meaningful but should be read as one strong data point in a choppy trajectory rather than a settled trend.

By almost every survey dimension, this is a remarkably high-trust school: 99% of parents trust the principal, 98% trust their child's teacher, 100% of teachers rate instruction quality and safety at the top of the scale, and there have been zero suspensions for three consecutive years. The disconnect is attendance — a 91.9% attendance rate (just below the district 92.7%) masks a chronic absenteeism rate of 68.3%, meaning more than two-thirds of students miss enough school to be flagged. Families are clearly engaged (63% survey response rate, 400 respondents) and feel heard by the school, but the absenteeism number is the elephant in the room.

P.S. 81Q's student body is 87% Hispanic, with small Asian, White, and Black populations rounding out the rest — a low diversity index of 29% reflects how concentrated that Hispanic majority is. The economic need index of 73.6 indicates a moderate-to-high share of students from low-income households, and 22% of students have IEPs. The school's demographics closely mirror Ridgewood's working-class, family-rooted character, making this feel like a true neighborhood school rather than a destination draw.

Ridgewood is a densely settled, family-rooted Queens neighborhood with a median household income around $83,500 and a poverty rate of 12.6% — solidly working-class but with a rising home-value curve that reflects recent price pressure (median home value over $1 million, though only about one in five households own). Roughly 17% of households have children, and just over a third of adults hold a bachelor's degree. Families here rely heavily on transit: the L and M lines all converge within a short walk of the school, which is rare for a Queens elementary.

The Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs L stop is about a 6-minute walk, the Seneca Av M stop is roughly 5 minutes, and the Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs M stop is about 7 minutes — families can reach the school from three different subway entrances.