At a Glance
A screened PK-8 school in Queens Village that's posted a striking academic climb while earning near-universal parent trust.
Best suited for
Families who prioritize strong academics, a calm and respectful school culture, and don't mind a bus-dependent commute — especially those who value screened admissions and want a stable elementary-to-middle-school pathway within the public system.
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
- Math proficiency has nearly doubled since 2016, a rare and sustained turnaround.
- Three consecutive years with zero suspensions, paired with 98% teacher-reported safety.
- Parent satisfaction and trust scores are at or near 100% across nearly every survey measure.
- Screened admissions process selects for engaged families, contributing to the calm culture.
- Accelerated/Honors academic track is available within the public school setting.
Things to consider
- PTA fundraising is just $6 per student, far below the district average of $33, which limits enrichment and extras.
- Three out of four students are chronically absent — learning loss at home is a real concern here.
- Grade 8 math proficiency drops to 44%, a notable dip from the strong elementary years.
- No subway within walking distance makes daily commutes more complex than in transit-rich neighborhoods.
- Program richness score is modest (34.7/100), so families seeking robust arts, clubs, or electives may need to look elsewhere.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 29
Within District 29, P.S./I.S. 295 sits comfortably above the district average on academics and culture metrics, though it trails the top peer schools — Success Academy Springfield Gardens and Rosedale — which post far higher overall scores. It ranks ahead of several neighborhood PS schools like P.S. 131 and P.S. 95 on the district's quality measure.
Academics
The numbers here are well above district norms: 70% ELA proficiency and 68.4% math proficiency both beat the district averages of roughly 57% and 54%. The trajectory is even more telling — math proficiency has climbed from about 40% in 2016 to nearly 70% today, with the steepest gains in the last two years. ELA has followed a similar arc, jumping from the high 40s to 70%. The strongest grade-level results sit in elementary years, especially Grade 5 math at nearly 89% and Grade 4 math at 80%; the picture softens in Grade 8 math, where proficiency drops to 44%.
Culture
Day-to-day, this feels like a calm, relationship-driven school. Zero suspensions for three consecutive years is exceptional, and teachers rate their trust in leadership at 90% and the school's safety at 98%. Parents are even more enthusiastic — 95% trust the principal, 100% say the school fosters strong relationships, and 91% are satisfied overall. The one thing that gives pause is chronic absenteeism: 75.7% of students miss 10% or more of school days, even though average daily attendance (92.9%) sits above the district norm. Families are engaged when they're present, but a large share of kids are losing learning at home.
Community
The student body reflects Queens Village's mix — Hispanic (36%), Asian (30%), and Black (24%) students make up most of the enrollment, with smaller Native American, White, and multiracial shares. The diversity index of 78% reflects that blend, and 19% of students have IEPs. About 61% of students qualify for economic need, which is higher than the neighborhood's relatively comfortable income profile (median household income near $98K, poverty under 9%), suggesting the school draws from a wider swath of Queens than just its immediate blocks. ELL support is offered for the language learners in the mix.
Neighborhood
Queens Village is a stable, largely owner-occupied pocket of eastern Queens — nearly 73% of households are homeowners, and the median home value sits around $633,000. About 16% of households have children, the median household income is just under $98,000, and roughly 29% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. It reads as a settled, family-rooted neighborhood where many parents have put down long-term housing. The trade-off is transportation: with no subway within a 20-minute walk, most families rely on buses, cars, or the LIRR to get around the city.
The school is beyond walking distance of the subway, so most families commute by bus, car, or school transportation.
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) · 309 families responded (56% rate)
Programs & Activities
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./I.S. 295 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./I.S. 295 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.
Middle school (6th grade)
Middle school is one citywide application, made in 5th grade. P.S./I.S. 295 admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- P.S./I.S. 295Screened51 seats
Middle school application
- Opened
- Wed, Oct 14
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 11
- Offers
- Wed, Apr 7
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the middle school application, in 5th grade.
- 2Screened programs rank 4th-grade course grades, so last year's report card is the one that counts.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
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./I.S. 295 a good school?
- On Motley, P.S./I.S. 295 earns an overall rating of 69/100 — 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 above the District 29 average.
- What grades does P.S./I.S. 295 serve?
- P.S./I.S. 295 serves grades Pre-K to 8.
- How do students get into P.S./I.S. 295?
- P.S./I.S. 295 is a screened school — it admits by application, ranking applicants on their course grades (4th grade for middle school, the 7th-grade core-course average for high school); a few schools add an assessment, writing sample, or interview.
- Is P.S./I.S. 295 public, charter, or private?
- P.S./I.S. 295 is a public school in NYC Community School District 29.
- What neighborhood is P.S./I.S. 295 in?
- P.S./I.S. 295 is in Queens Village, Queens.