The top reported proficiency rate is 66% in Social studies. The lowest is 34% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Ps 50 Talfourd Lawn Elementary School
PS 50 Talfourd Lawn Elementary School sits on 101st Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, part of New York City Geographic District 28. It serves children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, making it a neighborhood elementary school in the fullest sense, with no graduation rate to report and no high school pathway data that would apply here.
The school is large for an elementary setting. An overwhelming share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing it among schools that serve populations with high economic need. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with substantial Asian and Black populations alongside smaller shares of other groups. Data on English learner rates and students with IEPs were not available in what was provided, so a parent who wants to understand special education staffing or multilingual supports would want to ask the school directly.
On the New York State assessments, the picture is mixed. In math, roughly half to just above half of tested students in third, fourth, and fifth grades scored at the proficient level, with fifth grade performing somewhat better than fourth. In English language arts, third and fourth graders scored in the low-to-mid forties range, while fifth graders posted a notably stronger result, clearing the majority threshold by a meaningful margin. Science results for fifth grade were weaker, with only about a third of students scoring proficient. Social studies data in the payload dates to more than a decade ago and cannot be used to characterize the school's current standing. Taken together, across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint relative to districts in Queens County. A parent who wants to understand what the school is doing to move these numbers, and what supports are in place for students who are not yet proficient, would do well to ask the principal.
One district-level change that affects every child at PS 50 is the NYC Reads mandate. Beginning in the 2023-24 rollout year, all District 28 elementary schools were required to adopt one of three city-approved reading curriculums grounded in the science of reading, ending the longstanding practice of principals assembling their own approaches. The city has since given teachers more flexibility on pacing, but publicly reported statements from the schools chancellor confirm the overhaul is permanent. For a family enrolling a young reader, understanding which of the three approved curriculums PS 50 is using and how teachers are being supported in delivering it is a practical question worth asking.
The city has also expanded its Gifted and Talented program so that every district, including District 28, now has at least one program with a third-grade entry point in addition to the kindergarten entry. Screening has shifted away from a single high-stakes test toward a grades-based model. For families thinking ahead, Queens High School for the Sciences, the borough's only specialized high school, has been approved to relocate to a new, larger building in Jamaica itself, within District 28, starting with the 2026-27 school year. That school reserves a share of seats specifically for Districts 27 and 28 residents, and the new facility is designed with amenities the current building lacks. This is a tangible change in the local high school landscape for a family planting roots near PS 50 now.
Jamaica as a neighborhood is dense and transit-rich. The school's address puts it in a residential stretch south and east of the civic core, where tree-lined blocks of single-family homes and rowhouses step back from the commercial energy of Sutphin Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue. Publicly reported assessments of the area note heavy pedestrian and bus traffic along commercial corridors and some pedestrian safety concerns at intersections. The Jamaica Station transit hub connects the Long Island Rail Road, the E, J, and Z subway lines, and the JFK AirTrain, making the neighborhood accessible from much of the city. The housing market around the school has seen values climb well above the state and national medians, with year-over-year appreciation running ahead of the statewide pace, and rents have edged upward as well, reflecting broader development pressure along the Sutphin and Archer corridors where multiple large mixed-income residential towers have opened or are under construction.
See more original research from School Decision →