P.S./I.S. 268

On the 2025 state tests, 46.8% of students met ELA proficiency and 41.1% met math proficiency — roughly 10 and 13 points below the District 29 averages of 56.9% and 53.7%. Math has been volatile over the past decade, swinging from 30% in 2017 to 40.8% in 2019, dipping to 24.3% in 2022, and recovering to 41.1%, while ELA has bounced in a similar band; the 2025 numbers are an improvement over 2024 but still below the 2019 peak. Results vary sharply by cohort — Grade 8 is genuinely strong (78.6% ELA, 58.6% math) and Grade 5 holds up well, while Grade 6 sits in the low 30s and Grade 3 in the mid-30s — meaning what's happening in specific grades matters as much as the schoolwide picture.

The standout climate story is the family-school relationship: 94% of parents are satisfied, 97% trust their child's teacher, and 95% trust the principal, all above district averages. Teachers are more reserved — 82% rate instruction quality and 82% report safety, both below district figures — though teacher collegial trust sits at a healthy 88%. Chronic absenteeism is high at 62.6%, meaning most students miss enough school to be flagged, but the discipline picture is the cleanest in the data: just one suspension last year, down from six in 2021-22.

The student body is one of the most unusual in the city: 46% Hispanic, 25% Asian, 16% Black, 9% Native American, and 3% White — that 9% Native American share is rare for a New York City public school and reflects a community mix you won't find at most peers. About 77% of students qualify for economic need and 17% have IEPs, both consistent with a school that serves a wide range of learners. The surrounding Jamaica neighborhood is working-class and family-dense, with a quarter of households raising children and a median household income around $61,800.

Jamaica is one of Queens' most populous and family-dense neighborhoods — roughly a quarter of households include children, and the area is majority renter with homeownership around 24%. Median household income sits near $61,800 and about 17% of residents live below the poverty line, consistent with the school's 77% economic need index. The neighborhood is well-connected by subway, with the F train at Jamaica-179 St about 8 minutes on foot and 169 St about 10 minutes, plus the E, J, and Z lines at Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer for longer trips.

Most families arrive on foot, by school bus, or via the subway; the F train at Jamaica-179 St is about 8 minutes away and 169 St is about 10 minutes, with the E, J, and Z at Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer roughly 19 minutes on foot.