PS 273

PS 273 is an intimate elementary school in RICHMOND HILL, New York, one of the schools within NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #27. The school serves 329 students in grades pre-K through 5. That puts it 26% smaller than the typical public school in New York, which averages around 443 students.

NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #27 comprises 63 schools with combined enrollment of 39,209 students; PS 273 is among them.

Looking at the student body, PS 273 shows that 76% of the student body identifies as Hispanic; the rest breaks down as 11% Asian, 5% Native American, 3% Black, 2% Pacific Islander. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 28%.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.7:1 students per teacher. That tracks the state average closely. About 88% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is higher than Queens County's rate of about 77%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, PS 273 tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 42.7% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 50.8%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Queens County indicate median household earnings sit near $86,136, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Queens County's 392 public schools (combined enrollment of about 268,205 students), PS 273 is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: NEW YORK CITY ACADEMY FOR DISCOVERY, around 0.3 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around PS 273. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), PS 273 ranks 4th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 56.3%.

The campus sits in a high-density setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 3%: 340 students in 2018 compared to 329 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.