Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway, Forest Hills NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway

PS 196 Grand Central Parkway sits on 113th Street in Forest Hills, a predominantly residential Queens neighborhood with a defined commercial spine along Austin Street and Queens Boulevard. The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade within NYC Geographic District 28, drawing from a community that publicly reported sources describe as upper-middle-class and family-oriented, with tree-lined streets, a mix of prewar apartment houses, Tudor-style homes, and garden co-ops, and strong subway and LIRR connections to Manhattan. The neighborhood is actively adding housing, including affordable and luxury residential projects, so the local landscape is in motion even if its residential character has remained stable.

The academic profile here is genuinely striking. On the New York State Testing Program across third, fourth, and fifth grades in math and English language arts, proficiency rates across all tested grades and both subjects are exceptionally high, with third-grade math reaching full proficiency and the other grades not far behind. Fifth-grade science results are similarly strong. Among the Queens County districts represented in the comparison set, PS 196 sits in the top quartile on an overall proficiency index that averages results across tested subjects and grades. That position, at the high end of a county that includes dozens of districts, is a real strength by any reasonable benchmark.

The student body is sizable for an elementary school and reflects the neighborhood's diversity. Asian students make up the largest share of enrollment, followed by white students, with Hispanic students comprising a meaningful portion and smaller numbers of Black students and multiracial students. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is relatively modest, below what you would find across most of New York City's public schools as a whole. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in what was provided here, so families with children in those categories may want to ask the school directly about supports and services.

Three district-level changes are worth knowing. District 28 elementary schools shifted to the NYC Reads mandate, requiring schools to use one of three city-approved reading curriculums grounded in the science of reading. That mandate replaced the longstanding practice of principals choosing their own literacy approaches, and it is publicly reported to be permanent, with some flexibility given to teachers on pacing. Families who cared deeply about a particular reading philosophy should ask PS 196 specifically which curriculum it adopted. The city also expanded its Gifted and Talented program to all districts including District 28, adding a third-grade entry point and moving from a single high-stakes test to a screening model based on grades, which publicly reported sources note widens access and changes how children qualify. Finally, Queens High School for the Sciences, the borough's only specialized high school, received approval to relocate to a larger, fully equipped building in Jamaica with seats reserved for District 28 residents among others. That relocation is set for the 2026-27 school year with planned enrollment growth through the end of the decade, which matters for families thinking ahead to where a strong elementary pathway leads.

The housing market in the Forest Hills zip code shows home values sitting roughly in line with the New York State median, with rents rising noticeably year over year. The neighborhood's proximity to E, F, M, and R subway lines and the LIRR, along with Forest Park and the Queens library branch near 71st Street, are concrete draws for families who want urban access alongside quiet residential streets.

A graduation rate is not applicable here because PS 196 ends at fifth grade. Multi-year trend data was not available in what was provided, so it is not possible to say from this data whether these already-high scores have been climbing, stable, or recently arrived at. A parent interested in trajectory would want to ask the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 3100%

School 100% · District 72% · ▲ 28 pts above district

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

Grade 496%

School 96% · District 68% · ▲ 28 pts above district

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

Grade 598%

School 98% · District 63% · ▲ 35 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 398%

School 98% · District 66% · ▲ 32 pts above district

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Grade 495%

School 95% · District 63% · ▲ 31 pts above district

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

Grade 598%

School 98% · District 66% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▲ 43 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Science

Grade 596%

School 96% · District 48% · ▲ 47 pts above district

▲ 54 pts above state median · ▲ 52 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 599%

School 99% · district not reported

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 10 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-income93%Higher-income99%6 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income81%Higher-income97%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income100%Higher-income97%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income100%Higher-income100%0 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income94%Higher-income96%2 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income96%Higher-income99%4 pp gap