Ps 121

Summary:

PS 121 is an exceptional elementary school located in South Ozone Park, New York, serving 715 students in grades PK-5. This school is part of the New York City Geographic District #28, which is ranked 429 out of 865 districts in the state.

PS 121 has consistently ranked among the top elementary schools in New York, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math are significantly higher than the district and state averages. For example, in 2023-2024, 92.16% of 3rd graders, 87.84% of 4th graders, and 70.27% of 5th graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the district averages of 50.37%, 59.28%, and 50.95%, respectively. In Math, the proficiency rates for PS 121 were even more impressive, with 97.92% of 3rd graders, 91.89% of 4th graders, and 87.65% of 5th graders scoring proficient or better, compared to the district averages of 60.66%, 66.67%, and 57.46%.

When compared to nearby schools, such as PS 161 Arthur Ashe School and PS 55 Maure, PS 121 significantly outperforms them in academic proficiency rates, ranking, and overall performance. This suggests that PS 121 is a standout school in the local area, providing a high-quality education and effectively supporting students from diverse backgrounds, including those from low-socioeconomic families.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 126-10 109th Ave
       South Ozone Park, NY  11420-1525


(718) 558-1560

District: New York City Geographic District #28

SchoolDigger Rank:
84th of 2,445 New York Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $14,988 Help


Students who attend Ps 121 usually attend:

Middle:    Emerson School (The)
    Junior High School 8 Richard S Grossley

Student/teacher ratio:  15.5 Help
Number of students:  715

Racial breakdown:

Asian:
44.2%
American Indian:
22.0%
African American:
13.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  77.5% Help


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 Compare Ps 121 to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Ps 121 ranks better than 96.6% of elementary schools in New York. It also ranks 4th among 27 ranked elementary schools in the New York City Geographic District #28. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 95.28. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Student population at Ps 121 is diverse. Racial makeup is: Asian (44.2%), American Indian (22%), African American (13%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 77.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Ps 121 is 15.5. 17 elementary schools in the New York City Geographic District #28 have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Ps 121 employs 46 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ps 121 is $14,988. 24 elementary schools in the New York City Geographic District #28 spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Ps 121:

SchoolDigger ranks Ps 121 84th of 2445 New York public elementary schools. (See Ps 121 in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Asian students:
Native American students:


New York City Geographic District #28:

SchoolDigger ranks New York City Geographic District #28 429th of 865 New York school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Ps 121.

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Rank History for Ps 121

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Ps 121

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 59.39 1101st 2206 50.1%
2007 61.96 1023rd 2219 53.9%
2008 63.89 969th 2227 56.5%
2009 66.07 877th 2257 61.1%
2010 72.81 598th 2263 73.6%
2011 72.34 613th 2286 73.2%
2012 73.61 594th 2320 74.4%
2013 75.36 477th 2325 79.5%
2014 75.49 505th 2345 78.5%
2015 73.94 555th 2352 76.4%
2016 66.77 729th 2366 69.2%
2017 71.86 614th 2386 74.3%
2018 72.73 586th 2395 75.5%
2019 87.15 268th 2413 88.9%
2021 84.29 268th 2201 87.8%
2022 91.30 160th 2434 93.4%
2023 96.70 46th 2439 98.1%
2024 95.28 84th 2445 96.6%
See the entire list of New York Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Ps 121

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 65.41 185th 938 80.3%
2019 65.17 151st 860 82.4%
2022 85.08 73rd 1027 92.9%
See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Ps 121

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 54.17 648th 1941 66.6%
2019 79.76 178th 1859 90.4%
2021 98.06 6th 1044 99.4%
2022 87.03 129th 2031 93.6%
See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Ps 121

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 79.14 280th 2045 86.3%
2019 91.95 107th 2032 94.7%
2021 87.59 111th 1678 93.4%
2022 94.53 66th 2099 96.9%
2023 98.49 23rd 2041 98.9%
2024 98.37 26th 2078 98.7%
See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Ps 121

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 73.27 541st 2338 76.9%
2019 87.88 215th 2357 90.9%
2021 84.12 214th 1955 89.1%
2022 90.62 142nd 2401 94.1%
2023 95.08 63rd 2403 97.4%
2024 93.69 105th 2413 95.6%
See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Ps 121

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 70.42 608th 2340 74.0%
2019 84.10 297th 2358 87.4%
2021 76.20 388th 1961 80.2%
2022 90.15 162nd 2400 93.3%
2023 96.64 29th 2400 98.8%
2024 94.55 80th 2411 96.7%
See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Ps 121

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 46.33 392nd 601 34.8%
2019 55.43 286th 548 47.8%
2021 55.21 229th 430 46.7%
2022 72.14 176th 671 73.8%
2023 82.41 67th 605 88.9%
2024 80.92 97th 662 85.3%
See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Ps 121

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 86.16 89th 948 90.6%
2019 93.40 42nd 891 95.3%
2022 95.59 37th 936 96.0%
2023 99.36 2nd 857 99.8%
See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Ps 121

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 56.56 535th 1392 61.6%
2019 94.85 42nd 1315 96.8%
2022 98.68 7th 1503 99.5%
See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Ps 121

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 57.80 9th 24 62.5%
2019 83.64 2nd 18 88.9%
2022 78.75 2nd 23 91.3%
2023 90.43 3rd 24 87.5%
2024 85.79 4th 31 87.1%
See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Native American Students!

Data source: test scores: NY State Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Ps 121 Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: NY State Education Department

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
Facebook Profile Picture by a student on FaceBook
Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Open Quote I went to this school and I think the teachers are encouraging Close Quote



Enrollment information for Ps 121

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 16 507 193 243 1 n/a n/a 0 960
1990 13 514 277 263 0 n/a n/a 0 1067
1991 11 496 405 223 0 n/a n/a 0 1135
1992 25 524 436 202 0 n/a n/a 0 1187
1993 16 507 426 231 11 n/a n/a 0 1191
1994 16 511 460 205 8 n/a n/a 0 1200
1995 9 482 533 206 11 n/a n/a 0 1241
1996 9 482 533 206 11 n/a n/a 0 1241
1997 13 461 557 201 11 n/a n/a 0 1243
1998 14 433 560 237 14 n/a n/a 0 1258
1999 16 429 544 237 2 n/a n/a 0 1228
2000 19 407 561 228 2 n/a n/a 0 1217
2001 15 396 512 208 5 n/a n/a 0 1136
2002 15 332 543 226 16 n/a n/a 0 1132
2003 15 332 543 226 16 n/a n/a 0 1132
2004 14 326 571 221 21 n/a n/a 0 1153
2005 15 317 588 205 24 n/a n/a 0 1149
2006 18 282 588 181 24 n/a n/a 0 1093
2007 20 276 538 154 17 n/a n/a 0 1005
2008 33 231 530 134 14 n/a n/a 0 942
2009 36 236 559 120 11 n/a n/a 0 962
2010 43 262 567 117 11 n/a n/a 0 1000
2011 43 254 587 117 7 0 0 0 1008
2012 42 200 389 91 8 184 0 0 914
2013 6 147 39 97 307 216 4 0 816
2014 8 159 314 102 256 0 8 0 847
2015 14 167 385 94 208 0 15 0 883
2016 15 183 463 110 165 0 20 0 956
2017 15 170 339 111 123 157 17 0 932
2018 22 159 375 122 119 121 17 0 935
2019 16 146 385 110 121 91 15 0 884
2020 10 122 366 107 144 61 15 0 825
2021 13 105 350 99 132 54 14 0 767
2022 7 85 328 91 146 51 15 0 723
2023 7 93 316 80 157 45 17 0 715

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Ps 121

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 960 53.9 17.8 n/a
1990 1067 56.9 18.7 n/a
1991 1135 56.6 20.0 n/a
1992 1187 56.8 20.8 n/a
1993 1191 59.4 20.1 n/a
1994 1200 60.2 19.9 n/a
1995 1241 57.2 21.7 n/a
1996 1241 57.2 21.7 n/a
1997 1243 60.2 20.6 80.2
1998 1258 60.2 20.9 86.2
1999 1228 59.2 20.7 68.6
2000 1217 67.3 18.1 74.6
2001 1136 47.1 24.1 79.8
2002 1132 n/a n/a n/a
2003 1132 n/a n/a n/a
2004 1153 n/a n/a n/a
2005 1149 70.5 16.3 0
2006 1093 72.0 15.2 90.9
2007 1005 72.5 13.9 91
2008 942 74.0 12.7 88.1
2009 962 71.0 13.5 89.8
2010 1000 72.0 13.8 n/a
2011 1008 72.3 13.9 92.6
2012 914 63.0 14.5 92.6
2013 816 55.0 14.8 86
2014 847 50.0 16.9 82.3
2015 883 52.0 16.9 82.1
2016 956 57.0 16.7 79
2017 932 61.0 15.2 79.3
2018 935 60.0 15.5 82.2
2019 884 58.0 15.2 77.8
2020 825 50.0 16.5 77.5
2021 767 45.2 16.9 67.4
2022 723 47.1 15.3 74.8
2023 715 46.0 15.5 77.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Ps 121

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 960 53.9 17.8 n/a
1990 1067 56.9 18.7 n/a
1991 1135 56.6 20.0 n/a
1992 1187 56.8 20.8 n/a
1993 1191 59.4 20.1 n/a
1994 1200 60.2 19.9 n/a
1995 1241 57.2 21.7 n/a
1996 1241 57.2 21.7 n/a
1997 1243 60.2 20.6 80.2
1998 1258 60.2 20.9 86.2
1999 1228 59.2 20.7 68.6
2000 1217 67.3 18.1 74.6
2001 1136 47.1 24.1 79.8
2002 1132 n/a n/a n/a
2003 1132 n/a n/a n/a
2004 1153 n/a n/a n/a
2005 1149 70.5 16.3 0
2006 1093 72.0 15.2 90.9
2007 1005 72.5 13.9 91
2008 942 74.0 12.7 88.1
2009 962 71.0 13.5 89.8
2010 1000 72.0 13.8 n/a
2011 1008 72.3 13.9 92.6
2012 914 63.0 14.5 92.6
2013 816 55.0 14.8 86
2014 847 50.0 16.9 82.3
2015 883 52.0 16.9 82.1
2016 956 57.0 16.7 79
2017 932 61.0 15.2 79.3
2018 935 60.0 15.5 82.2
2019 884 58.0 15.2 77.8
2020 825 50.0 16.5 77.5
2021 767 45.2 16.9 67.4
2022 723 47.1 15.3 74.8
2023 715 46.0 15.5 77.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Ps 121

Help

YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $765 (5.9%) $12,145 (94.1%) $12,909
2020 $697 (5.3%) $12,369 (94.7%) $13,066
2021 $805 (5.8%) $13,022 (94.2%) $13,827
2022 $1,588 (10.5%) $13,536 (89.5%) $15,123
2023 $1,018 (6.8%) $13,970 (93.2%) $14,988

Data source: New York Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Ps 121

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 268th of 2413 Elementary schoolsRanks 46th of 2439 Elementary schools
 9.2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Ps 121)8189.6
 8.6%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (New York City Geographic District #28)6057.8
 2.2%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (New York)5244.9
 7.1%
3rd Grade Math (Ps 121)8194.1
 13.1%
   3rd Grade Math (New York City Geographic District #28)6164.3
 3.3%
   3rd Grade Math (New York)5453.7
 0.3%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Ps 121)7891.9
 13.9%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (New York City Geographic District #28)5560.5
 5.5%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (New York)4848.8
 0.8%
4th Grade Math (Ps 121)7598.7
 23.7%
   4th Grade Math (New York City Geographic District #28)5661.1
 5.1%
   4th Grade Math (New York)5053.9
 3.8%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Ps 121)5082.7
 32.7%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (New York City Geographic District #28)4353.2
 10.2%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (New York)3845.1
 7.1%
5th Grade Math (Ps 121)7282.2
 10.2%
   5th Grade Math (New York City Geographic District #28)5253.7
 1.7%
   5th Grade Math (New York)4649.7
 3.7%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students884715
 19.1%
African American14693
 36.3%
American Indian121157
 29.8%
Asian385316
 17.9%
Hispanic11080
 27.3%
Pacific Islander9145
 50.5%
White167
 56.3%
Two or More Races1517
 13.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients77.8%77.5%
 0.3%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Ps 121

Students at Ps 121 are 44% Asian, 22% American Indian, 13% African American, 11% Hispanic, 6% Pacific Islander, 2% Two or more races.

Yes! Ps 121 is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 84th of 2445 New York elementary schools.

In the 2022-23 school year, 715 students attended Ps 121.

Students who attend Ps 121 usually go on to attend:

Middle : Emerson School (The)
Middle : Junior High School 8 Richard S Grossley


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the WNYC and the New York State Department of Health and the NY State Education Department.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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