Ps 111 Jacob Blackwell, Long Island City NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 111 Jacob Blackwell

PS 111 Jacob Blackwell is a pre-K-through-eighth-grade public school in Long Island City, Queens, serving a predominantly Hispanic and Black student body in a rapidly developing neighborhood. The school sits in one of the city's fastest-transforming areas, a former industrial zone now defined by rising towers, waterfront parks, and arrival of large employers, a context that shapes both its setting and the families it serves.

The school enrolls a small-to-mid-sized cohort across its grade span. Nearly all of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of Long Island City's resident population even as the neighborhood gentrifies around new construction. The student body is majority Hispanic, with a substantial Black population, and small groups of Asian, white, and multiracial students. Demographic data on English learners and students receiving special education services are not currently available.

State test results show proficiency levels that are well below what the field considers strong. Across math and English language arts, most grades sit in the single digits to low double digits for proficiency. In math, third grade reaches the highest proficiency rate among younger students; performance dips to nearly zero in fifth grade, then improves in the upper grades, with eighth grade reaching a notably higher rate. In ELA, a similar pattern emerges, with eighth grade posting the strongest performance. Science results are available only for fifth and eighth grades; eighth-grade science proficiency is substantially higher than any other tested subject or grade. The consistency of this upward trend in eighth grade across subjects suggests that teaching and learning in the final year may differ in quality or approach from earlier grades, though the data does not explain why.

When positioned against other schools tested in Queens County, PS 111's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile, reflecting the persistently low percentages across grades and subjects. A parent may want to understand whether the school has identified instructional gaps and undertaken specific changes to address them, particularly in the middle grades where the drop is most steep. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate.

Participation rates in testing vary by grade and subject, ranging from adequate to lower. In some instances, fewer than all students took the assessments, which may reflect absences, opt-outs, or other factors; the school's own reporting would clarify the reason.

Long Island City itself is a mixed-use neighborhood integrated into the city's transit grid, home to waterfront parks, cultural venues, LaGuardia Community College, and corporate offices. The area carries both arts-community identity and rapid new residential development. Housing values in the zip code are well above the New York State median, and rents are high and rising. The neighborhood includes pockets of established resident families and communities alongside newcomers drawn by development. This creates a school environment where economic strain coexists with gentrification pressure, a dynamic typical of New York City's outer boroughs in transition.

Within District 30, the school operates alongside citywide shifts in early-literacy instruction and gifted programs, and a new STEAM-focused middle school that opened nearby in 2023 to relieve overcrowding. These policy moves and capacity additions form part of the school's backdrop, though PS 111's own curricular choices and internal conditions remain the primary driver of what families experience.

For families considering this school, the picture is one of low academic proficiency across most tested grades and subjects, with a notable exception in eighth-grade performance. The student body is economically disadvantaged and diverse. The neighborhood is transit-rich and walkable, anchored by waterfront life and institutions, and in the midst of substantial residential growth. Whether PS 111 is the right fit depends on family values around academic ambition, willingness to assess the school's specific instructional strategy and responsiveness, and comfort with a school that serves a historically underserved student population in a changing urban landscape.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 65% · ▼ 43 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 48 pts below county median

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 67% · ▼ 58 pts below district

▼ 50 pts below state median · ▼ 59 pts below county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 59% · ▼ 59 pts below district

▼ 51 pts below state median · ▼ 60 pts below county median

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 59% · ▼ 54 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 46 pts below county median

Grade 713%

School 13% · District 64% · ▼ 50 pts below district

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

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 47% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 59% · ▼ 35 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 61% · ▼ 37 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 37 pts below county median

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 62% · ▼ 43 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 43 pts below county median

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 62% · ▼ 36 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 61% · ▼ 36 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 63% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Science

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 49% · ▼ 29 pts below district

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

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 38% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 547%

School 47% · district not reported

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 43 pts below county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

▼ 78 pts below state median · ▼ 54 pts below county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #30, 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.