Ps 52, Jamaica NY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 52

PS 52 is a regular public elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, part of NYC Geographic District 29. The school sits on 146th Terrace in the southern, more residential stretch of Jamaica, away from the transit-heavy downtown core but within the broader neighborhood's orbit of bus routes, parks, and the Queens Public Library system.

The school is small for an elementary building, and the student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with the two groups together making up nearly the entire enrollment. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school among the most economically disadvantaged in the city. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in the materials provided.

State test results from the 2024-25 New York State Testing Program are where a parent should look closely. In ELA, proficiency rates across third, fourth, and fifth grade range from roughly a third of students to just under half, with third grade showing the strongest result. Math tells a more uneven story: third grade comes in above the midpoint of what was tested here, but fourth and fifth grade results drop to roughly a fifth of students or below reaching proficiency. Science, tested at fifth grade, came in similarly low. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Queens County, the comparison set available for this measure. That context matters for a parent making decisions, and it would be worth asking the school directly about how instruction is being adjusted and what supports are in place for students who are below grade level. Trend data was not available, so whether results are improving, holding, or declining is not something the data here can answer.

One development worth knowing about: under the citywide NYC Reads mandate, publicly reported as rolling out fully by September 2024, every elementary school in District 29 is now required to use one of three phonics-focused literacy curricula, replacing the prior system where each principal chose their own materials. Reading screeners are conducted three times a year and results are available to families through NYC Schools Accounts. This is a concrete, lasting change in how reading is taught at PS 52, and a parent can ask which of the three approved programs the school is using. A parallel math overhaul, NYC Solves, is primarily targeting middle and high schools, so its direct effect on PS 52 is limited for now.

The surrounding neighborhood gives some context for what daily life looks like. Jamaica is a dense, transit-connected part of Queens where publicly reported commercial and civic activity is concentrated along Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica Avenue, and Parsons Boulevard to the north. The school's address puts it in the quieter residential blocks to the south and east, tree-lined streets of single-family homes and small apartment buildings. The neighborhood is experiencing substantial residential development, with multiple large mixed-income towers rising near Jamaica Station and a rezoning publicly reported as intended to unlock a large number of new homes in coming years. Housing values in the zip code run well above both the state and national medians, and have been climbing, making this part of Queens an expensive entry point for buyers.

A graduation rate does not apply to PS 52 because the school ends at fifth grade. No program offerings data was available for this school, so information about arts, enrichment, or extended day programs was not in the materials provided and was left out rather than guessed at. Families interested in that layer of the school's offerings would want to contact the school directly or review its NYC Schools Account page.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 64% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 58% · ▼ 41 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 51 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 54% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 54% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 55% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 59% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 37% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 590%

School 90% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #29, 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 4Lower-income36%Higher-income50%15 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income40%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income21%Higher-income0%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income20%0 pp gap