PS 86

As a large K-5 school in JAMAICA, New York, PS 86 enrolls 689 students from grades pre-K through 5, run under NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #28. Enrollment runs roughly 56% bigger than the state mean of about 443.

PS 86 is one of 50 schools operated by NEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #28, a district that enrolls 36,340 students overall.

Demographically, PS 86 reports that the most-represented group is Asian (54%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school records 35% Hispanic, 5% Black, 2% White. By comparison, Queens County as a whole is about 26% Asian, so the school skews noticeably more Asian than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 43 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 16.1:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 12.8:1 average. About 85% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Queens County runs at roughly 77%, so the school's eligibility rate is higher than the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, PS 86 tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 43.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 57.5%.

Around the school, census data for Queens County shows median household earnings sit near $86,136, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. PS 86 is one of 392 public schools in Queens County (combined enrollment of about 268,205 students).

The closest other public school is HILLCREST HIGH SCHOOL, roughly 0.1 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around PS 86. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), PS 86 ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 46.2%.

Geographically, the school is in a city-core area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at PS 86 has contracted 27%, going from 950 students in 2018 to 689 in 2025. Asian enrollment moved from 50% to 54% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 14.6:1 in 2018 to 16.1:1 today.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.