Ps 181 Brookfield, Springfield Gardens NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 181 Brookfield

PS 181 Brookfield is a small public elementary school serving Pre-K through fifth grade in Springfield Gardens, a quiet residential neighborhood in southeastern Queens that borders JFK Airport. The school enrolls students from a densely middle- and working-class area where a large share qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Its student body is predominantly Black, with a Caribbean-American presence and representation across multiple other backgrounds.

In state testing from the most recent year, the school shows a mixed profile. Math proficiency runs stronger in the upper grades: fifth grade students reached proficiency at a level well above the midpoint for tested subjects and grades across Queens County districts, while third and fourth grades sit more in the middle range. English language arts follows a similar arc, with fifth graders at the higher end and third graders closer to the median. Science, tested only in fifth grade, is a soft spot: fewer than half the fifth graders met proficiency. Testing participation rates across grades are solid, in the low-to-mid eighties. (Social studies data available for the school dates to a decade ago and is not current.)

Compared to the six other elementary schools in Queens County that have recent state testing results, PS 181's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, a genuine strength. This reflects the school's performance across subjects where data exists, though the gap in science indicates a parent may want to ask the school directly about how it approaches that subject.

The school sits within New York City's District 29, which has adopted the NYC Reads literacy mandate. All elementary schools in the district now use one of three approved phonics-focused reading curriculums and screen students three times a year, a shift away from the balanced-literacy approaches that were common in earlier years. Parents should expect standardized, science-of-reading instruction rather than a school-specific reading philosophy.

Springfield Gardens itself is a low-rise, car-oriented neighborhood of single- and two-family homes with yards and driveways, tree-lined streets, and a suburban character unusual for New York City. It has no subway; residents use buses along the major boulevards (Springfield, Farmers, Merrick) and dollar vans for daily mobility. The area has substantial green space, including Springfield Park with walking trails and a pond, and sits near several larger parks. Commercial life clusters on boulevard corridors rather than a single downtown. The housing market is tight and relatively affordable by Queens standards, though prices have been rising. The neighborhood borders major airport-related logistics and industrial activity, which drives employment for some residents while others commute to jobs elsewhere in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan.

The school's enrollment is small for an urban elementary school, with roughly equal grades across the primary years and a slight taper by fifth grade. Nearly all students come from low-income households. This is a neighborhood school serving families rooted in the community, not a destination school with a specialized program or magnet mission.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 374%

School 74% · District 64% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 58% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 588%

School 88% · District 54% · ▲ 34 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 54% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

Grade 479%

School 79% · District 55% · ▲ 24 pts above district

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

Grade 582%

School 82% · District 59% · ▲ 24 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 37% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 573%

School 73% · district not reported

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below 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 3Lower-income78%Higher-income50%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income49%Higher-income73%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income71%Higher-income83%12 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income60%Higher-income80%20 pp gap