Ps 206 Horace Harding School (the), Rego Park NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 206 Horace Harding School (the)

PS 206 Horace Harding School serves a small prekindergarten-through-fifth-grade student body in Rego Park, a dense, transit-rich neighborhood in central Queens where rapid residential development is reshaping the housing stock. The school sits in one of New York City's most diverse and economically working districts, where most students come from families with limited economic means but solid neighborhood infrastructure and subway access.

The school's academic results present a mixed picture that shifts noticeably across the grade span. In third grade, students show solid proficiency in math, with a clear majority meeting state standards. By fourth grade, math proficiency dips notably. Fifth grade shows a steeper decline in both math and English language arts, where fewer than half of students meet state standards in math and only a narrow majority reach proficiency in ELA. Science proficiency at fifth grade falls below the level of reading and math. These results are below the midpoint when compared against other district schools in Queens County. A parent should look directly into what accounts for this downward trajectory as children move through the upper elementary grades, particularly whether it reflects curriculum transitions, staffing, or student needs the school is working to address.

The school's student population is economically disadvantaged, with a substantial majority qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Enrollment is diverse by race and ethnicity. The school draws from Rego Park itself, an immigrant-dense neighborhood of prewar co-ops and apartments alongside newer residential towers sprouting along Queens Boulevard, where retail and transit hubs anchor daily life. Most families work in the broader service and retail economy, including nearby shopping centers and employers. This is a neighborhood where housing values are appreciating and rental costs are rising as the area develops, making it increasingly expensive for renters, though still substantially lower in absolute terms than the state benchmark.

The school operates under the NYC Reads literacy mandate that took effect across District 28 in fall 2024, meaning all elementary schools now use one of three city-approved reading curriculums grounded in the science of reading, a significant shift from the locally designed approaches that had been standard. Teachers were given more pacing flexibility beginning in late 2024, but the framework is now permanent district policy. The district expanded access to Gifted & Talented programs, adding third-grade entry to ensure at least one G&T option in every school. For families seeking a small elementary school in a dense, multicultural neighborhood with strong transit and nearby services, PS 206 offers that setting. For those focused on academic outcomes in the upper elementary years, the performance data warrants direct conversation with school leadership about instructional priorities and support structures.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 370%

School 70% · District 72% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 68% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 63% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 358%

School 58% · District 66% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 63% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 564%

School 64% · District 66% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Science

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 48% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 577%

School 77% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 13 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 3Lower-income53%Higher-income73%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income50%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income55%Higher-income100%45 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income65%Higher-income87%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income57%Higher-income83%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income71%33 pp gap