2 Forest Hills K-5 Public Schools Named Best In State: U.S. News

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Two elementary schools in Forest Hills were named among the best in New York, according to a first-of-its-kind ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News and World Report.

For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States — over 1,220 of which are a part of the New York City Public School system.

Two K-5 schools in Forest Hills — The Academy for Excellence Through the Arts and PS 196 Grand Central Parkway — appeared in the top 10 ranking of the city and state's best public elementary schools, coming in forth and seventh, respectively.

All told, 27 schools in Queens ranked among the top 50 elementary and middle schools in the city, U.S. News found. Among those top schools, more than half are located in Northeast Queens, a part of the borough that's wealthier and whiter than other parts of the World's Borough.

Patch mapped the top schools here (schools in Forest Hills are in green, schools in Northwest Queens are in yellow, schools in Northeast Queens are in blue, schools in Southeast Queens are in red):

To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze math and reading proficiency and performance. Proficiency was based on how well students did on state assessments, and performance was assessed by how well they did compared with school expectations.

The state assessment data used in the rankings is from the 2018-19 school year and, therefore, predates any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on test-taking.

Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools.

California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.

This isn't the first time that educational institutions in Queens have topped U.S. News' school rankings: In April, a Kew Gardens Hills high school was named the best in New York State, and the 12th best nationally, in the outlet's annual high school ranking report.

Schools in Forest Hills have also been singled out for accolades in the recent past: Last month, The Kew-Forest School, located on the border of Forest Hills and Kew Gardens, was named the best private high school in Queens.

Find the complete list of 2021's Best K-8 Schools here.