At a Glance
A PK–8 on the Rockaway peninsula where test scores are climbing fast and parents are deeply invested — though daily attendance is the unfinished business
Best suited for
Rockaway families who want a full PK–8 campus with a remarkably broad program menu and a school whose parents are clearly invested — and who can prioritize getting their child to school every day
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
- ELA proficiency roughly tripled and math proficiency nearly sextupled between 2016 and 2025, with a sharp jump in the most recent year
- 100 out of 100 program richness score, including accelerated/honors coursework, performing arts, coding, robotics, and a drumline
- 96% parent-principal trust and a 100% strong-relationships rating on the 2025 NYC School Survey
- Full PK–8 span on one campus, letting students stay put from pre-k through middle school
Things to consider
- Proficiency rates are still well below District 27 averages in both ELA and math
- 40.3% chronic absenteeism — among the most pressing issues a parent should ask about at any tour
- Teacher-principal trust at 70% and teacher-reported safety at 80% lag the district average
- Suspensions have crept up each of the last three years (1 to 2 to 3)
- 25% of students have IEPs, so families of students with disabilities should ask specifically about services and caseloads
Based on 2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 27
Vernam's overall quality score of 1.53 out of 4 sits below the District 27 average of 2.27 out of 4, and District 27 itself is one of the lower-performing large districts citywide on raw proficiency. Within the district, peer schools such as Success Academy – South Jamaica, Peninsula Preparatory Academy, and P.S. 66 score noticeably higher on the program-quality rubric, so families comparing non-zoned options in the Rockaways will find stronger-rated alternatives. Among traditional zoned schools in the area, Vernam stands out for its growth trajectory and its parent engagement.
Academics
Vernam's academic story is one of the steepest upward climbs in the data set. ELA proficiency moved from 11% in 2016 to 38.2% in 2025; math went from 6.5% to 38.4% over the same window. That is real, multi-year growth, and 2024–25 specifically shows a sharp single-year jump in both subjects. The honest framing, though: both ELA (38.2%) and math (38.4%) remain well below the District 27 averages of roughly 56% and 57%, and the school's overall quality score of 1.53 out of 4 sits below the district's 2.27. Results vary by grade — Grade 3 reaches 59.3% in math and Grade 7 hits 58.3% in ELA, while Grade 6 (21.2% math) and Grade 8 lag. The trend direction is unmistakably up, but the work of closing the gap with the rest of the district is still ahead.
Culture
Families love this school — 96% trust the principal, 96% trust their child's teacher, and 100% say the school fosters strong adult-to-student relationships. Teachers, by contrast, give the principal only 70% trust and rate safety at 80%, well below the district's 92.6%. Day-to-day discipline is light (just 3 suspensions last year, a 1% rate), but the suspension count has ticked up each year from 1 to 2 to 3, which is worth watching. The bigger climate issue is attendance: 83.2% overall and a 40.3% chronic absenteeism rate mean roughly two of every five students miss enough school to qualify as chronically absent. The gap between very engaged parents and very inconsistent student attendance is the paradox this school lives with.
Community
Vernam's student body is 68% Black and 25% Hispanic, with small Asian, white, multiracial, and Native American slices, giving a diversity index of 48%. One in four students has an Individualized Education Plan, and the economic need index of 90.6% places most students in or near poverty. These numbers mirror the surrounding Rockaway peninsula, where the poverty rate runs above 23% and homeownership is low. About 15% of neighborhood households include children, so the school is genuinely serving the families who live within walking distance.
Neighborhood
The Rockaway Beach–Arverne–Edgemere area is a working-class stretch of the Queens peninsula where median household income is about $67,800 and roughly a quarter of residents live below the poverty line. College attainment is around 28%, and homeownership is low at 33%, meaning most neighbors rent. Median home values sit near $566,000, which is modest for the Rockaways and reflects the beach-community character of the area.
The A train at Beach 67 St is about a 6-minute walk and Beach 60 St (A) is about 8 minutes away; Beach 44 St (A) is a longer 20-minute walk on foot.
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
Science Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Science 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) · 223 families responded (38% rate)
Programs & Activities
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Pre-K
P.S./M.S 042 R. Vernam 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./M.S 042 R. Vernam 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./M.S 042 R. Vernam admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- R. Vernam (P.S./M.S. 42Q)Unscreened60 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.
- 2Unscreened programs fill by random lottery among the families who rank them.
- 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./M.S 042 R. Vernam a good school?
- On Motley, P.S./M.S 042 R. Vernam earns an overall rating of 38/100 — 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 below the District 27 average.
- What grades does P.S./M.S 042 R. Vernam serve?
- P.S./M.S 042 R. Vernam serves grades Pre-K to 8.
- How do students get into P.S./M.S 042 R. Vernam?
- P.S./M.S 042 R. Vernam admits by application through a random lottery, with no academic screen.
- Is P.S./M.S 042 R. Vernam public, charter, or private?
- P.S./M.S 042 R. Vernam is a public school in NYC Community School District 27.
- What neighborhood is P.S./M.S 042 R. Vernam in?
- P.S./M.S 042 R. Vernam is in Rockaway Beach-Arverne-Edgemere, Queens.