Ps 40 Samuel Huntington, Jamaica NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 40 Samuel Huntington

PS 40 Samuel Huntington is a small elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Jamaica, Queens. The school sits in a diverse, transit-rich neighborhood that is experiencing substantial residential growth, with new mixed-use developments rising along its main commercial corridors and a recently approved zoning change intended to unlock thousands of new homes.

The school's enrollment is small, roughly three hundred seventy students, with deep economic need: the vast majority of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body reflects Jamaica's demographics. Hispanic and Black students each make up a substantial share of enrollment, followed by a significant Asian population, with smaller numbers of students from other groups.

Academic performance in math and English language arts is in the solid range. In the lower grades tested, third and fourth graders show proficiency rates that place the school above the midpoint of Queens County districts on an overall proficiency index. Third graders perform well in both subjects. Fourth-grade English proficiency dips somewhat, but math holds steady. By fifth grade, performance softens further, particularly in science, where proficiency drops to roughly two in five students. The school does not currently serve sixth grade, so no sixth-grade results are available.

A noteworthy feature of the New York City teaching landscape is that all District 28 elementary schools, including PS 40, now use one of three mandated reading curriculums grounded in the science of reading. This change took effect in the fall and represents a shift away from the approach that teachers previously assembled themselves. The mandate has been slightly relaxed to give teachers more pacing discretion, but the city has signaled it is a permanent feature of instruction.

The neighborhood itself is a mix. Downtown Jamaica, where the school sits, is dense and walkable, anchored by Jamaica Station, the major hub of the Long Island Rail Road and connection point for subway lines and the AirTrain to JFK. The station area hosts courthouses, government offices, libraries, and a vigorous street life driven by Caribbean, Bangladeshi, Latin American, and South Asian businesses. The residential areas surrounding downtown are quieter tree-lined blocks of homes and modest rowhouses. Housing values in the Jamaica zip code have risen substantially and sit above state benchmarks, a reflection of the neighborhood's growth trajectory and transit access.

For families considering the school, state testing data shows strength in the early grades and a dip in the upper elementary range, particularly in science. A parent may want to look into the school's science instruction further and understand how teachers are working with the new reading curriculum to see whether it suits their child's learning style.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 386%

School 86% · District 72% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 486%

School 86% · District 68% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 63% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 55% · ▼ 55 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 50 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 389%

School 89% · District 66% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 470%

School 70% · District 63% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 66% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 56% · ▼ 56 pts below district

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 56 pts below county median

Science

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 48% · ▼ 7 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 567%

School 67% · district not reported

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #28, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income78%Higher-income60%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income40%8 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income74%Higher-income80%6 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income40%3 pp gap