PS 104 BAYS WATER (THE)

PS 104 BAYS WATER (THE) is a medium-sized elementary-level community in FAR ROCKAWAY, New York, overseen by NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #27. The school enrolls 542 students in grades pre-K through 5. That puts it 22% larger than the typical public school in New York, which averages around 443 students.

Within NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #27, which oversees 63 schools and 39,209 students, PS 104 BAYS WATER (THE) is one campus in the system.

Demographically, PS 104 BAYS WATER (THE) logs that Hispanic students make up the majority at 57%. Beyond that, the school logs 33% Black, 5% Native American, 2% White. The wider county runs roughly 28% Hispanic, putting the school's mix visibly more Hispanic than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, The school currently runs with 42 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.9:1. The state averages about 12.8:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 87% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Queens County runs at roughly 77%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, PS 104 BAYS WATER (THE) sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 43.0%; this one delivers 35.2%.

Around the school, Queens County reports that median household income runs about $86,136, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Across Queens County's 392 public schools (combined enrollment of about 268,205 students), PS 104 BAYS WATER (THE) is one campus in the mix.

FREDERICK DOUGLASS ACADEMY VI HIGH SCHOOL is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around PS 104 BAYS WATER (THE). Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts PS 104 BAYS WATER (THE) at 7th of 9; the average score across the group is 50.2%.

The school occupies an urban site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at PS 104 BAYS WATER (THE) has ticked down 21%, going from 685 students in 2018 to 542 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share edged down from 46% to 33%.

On this page, members of the PS 104 BAYS WATER (THE) community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.