Ps 99 Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 99 Kew Gardens

PS 99 Kew Gardens is a public elementary and middle school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in central Queens, part of New York City Geographic District 28. The school sits on Kew Gardens Road, well within walking distance of the neighborhood's transit core and the quiet, tree-lined residential blocks that define the area's character.

Academically, the picture is strong across most tested subjects. On the New York State assessments, math and English language arts proficiency rates across grades three through six are well above the midpoint you would find across the county's districts, and the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Queens County. Third-grade math results are solid, fourth-grade math results are particularly high, and ELA scores across all tested grades cluster comfortably above what most comparable schools show. The one area that stands out as weaker is fifth-grade science, where proficiency is meaningfully lower than in any other tested subject and well below what the math and ELA numbers suggest. A parent whose child is headed into fifth grade would be worth asking the school directly about science instruction and what supports are in place. Social studies testing data comes only from a much earlier school year and cannot be used to characterize current performance.

Multi-year trend data was not available in the records provided, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, stability, or some other direction over time.

The student body is sizeable for a K-6 building. The school draws a racially and ethnically mixed population: Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by Asian and white students, with Black students and students of two or more races also part of the community. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which means PS 99 serves a substantial economically diverse population even within a neighborhood whose housing market sits below the New York State benchmark but above the national one. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs was not available in the records.

A few district-level developments matter here. District 28 elementary schools are now part of NYC Reads, the citywide mandate requiring all elementary schools to use one of three approved reading curriculums built around the science of reading. That is a real and lasting shift in how early literacy is taught, and families coming from schools where phonics or structured literacy were already central will find continuity, while those expecting the more discretionary approach principals once used should know that era is over. The district also expanded Gifted and Talented access, adding a third-grade entry point citywide and moving from a single high-stakes test to a screening model based on grades; District 28 is publicly reported to have some of the borough's stronger district-level G&T options, which may be relevant as children move through the grades. Looking further ahead, Queens High School for the Sciences, the borough's specialized high school with reserved seats for District 28 students, has been approved to relocate to a new, larger building in Jamaica for the 2026-27 school year, bringing expanded capacity and full facilities that students currently lack. That is a meaningful long-term pathway for families thinking ahead from elementary school.

The neighborhood itself reinforces the school's appeal for families who value walkability and transit access without sacrificing a residential feel. Kew Gardens was laid out as a planned garden suburb, and away from the commercial activity near Queens Boulevard, it reads as genuinely quiet, with pre-war homes and co-ops on curvilinear streets adjacent to Forest Park. The E and F trains, the Long Island Rail Road Main Line, and multiple bus routes make the area broadly connected. Home values here sit below the statewide benchmark but above the national one, with rents following a similar pattern and both showing modest year-over-year growth. New construction in the neighborhood is incremental and mid-rise; the larger development pressures that draw community opposition are concentrated in adjacent Kew Gardens Hills, a distinct neighborhood.

Graduation rate is not applicable here since PS 99 serves only through sixth grade.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 375%

School 75% · District 72% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 492%

School 92% · District 68% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 63% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 683%

School 83% · District 55% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 66% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 63% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 66% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 676%

School 76% · District 56% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 48% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 594%

School 94% · district not reported

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above 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 3Lower-income72%Higher-income76%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income75%Higher-income89%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income72%Higher-income74%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income68%Higher-income93%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income69%Higher-income88%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income90%Higher-income95%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income64%Higher-income87%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income77%Higher-income93%16 pp gap