New York City Geographic District #28 School District

New York City Geographic District #28 serves 38,052 students across 50 ranked schools in Queens. The district spans neighborhoods including Forest Hills, Jamaica, and Richmond Hill, making it one of the larger community school districts in the city. With a district-wide average score of 6.7 out of 10 across all 50 schools, performance sits at a moderate baseline — but the top tier pulls well above that mark.

PS 50 Talfourd Lawn Elementary School leads the district with an 8.5 out of 10, standing notably above the 6.7 district average. That 1.8-point gap signals a school performing at a meaningfully higher level than its peers. PS 117 J Keld/Briarwood School (8.2) and PS 140 Edward K. Ellington (8.1) follow closely, with PS 182 Samantha Smith (8.0) and PS 82 Hammond (7.9) rounding out the top five. All five sit at least a full point above the district average, indicating a cluster of strong elementary options for parents prioritizing academic performance.

The concentration of high-scoring schools at the elementary level is a practical signal for families with younger children. Five elementary schools scoring 8.0 or above gives parents in District 28 real choice at the foundational grades. The district average of 6.7 also means a majority of the 50 schools are performing at a competent level — parents are not navigating a landscape where strong schools are rare outliers.

For families comparing districts across Queens or the broader New York City system, District 28's 38,052-student enrollment puts it among the larger geographic districts, which typically means more school options but also greater variation in outcomes. The spread between the top school (8.5) and the district mean (6.7) suggests that school selection within the district matters — where a child is enrolled will have a real impact on their academic experience. Parents researching elementary placements should prioritize the top-rated cluster, while those evaluating the district overall can take confidence in a solid average across a large, competitive school system.