One of the main reasons I made this site is to help parents who are considering moving locations for a better school. If your child isn't school age yet, you might be looking to move to a neighborhood with a good zoned elementary school. Having zoned priority is great: you often have near-guaranteed acceptance at a known local school and you can also apply to other options (e.g. citywide gifted programs or other non-zoned schools) while retaining a strong fallback. Fortunately for you, the city is flush with high-scoring zoned elementary options. But looking a little further down the road, the same isn't true of middle schools.
Zoned Middle Schools: Great Ones Are Rare
Let's start with fast facts:
- 77% of all NYC public elementary schools are zoned
- 28% of all NYC public middle schools are zoned
- 33% of all NYC public K-8 schools are zoned
Simply put, schools that offer grades 6-8 are majority non-zoned, meaning they tend to provide only district-level priority. Sometimes being in-district is enough to give you a high chance of admission, but this isn't true of in-demand programs whose applicants across the district can far exceed their available seats.
For example, The Salk School of Science (M.S. 255) in Gramercy is a top scoring non-zoned middle school that gives admission priority to District 2 residents. Last year the school had 344 applicants for 107 seats.
Even fewer high scoring middle schools seem to be zoned. Among those middle schools who scored above the 90th percentile in both Performance and All-Around metrics (19 total in 2024), only 21% are zoned.
Adding to the uncertainty, many high performing non-zoned middle schools screen applicants based on fourth year grades and don't publish specific acceptance thresholds. You should of course apply if interested, but my point is it's hard to rely on non-zoned schools.
A Note About K-8 Schools
K-8 schools are also majority non-zoned. This means that for in-demand schools, the lottery for spots starts in kindergarten. Even if you have a great zoned elementary school lined up, you should consider applying for K-8 options. Though students at K-8 schools need to re-apply for 6th grade, they get continuing student admission priority which typically ranks above all other attributes. Locking into a great K-8 option could give you some stability and avoid the challenge of trying to find and get accepted to a middle school that you actually like.
High Scoring Zoned Elementary and Middle School Duos
Wouldn't it be nice if you were zoned for a great elementary school and a great middle school? That could be you! Here is a ranking of the top combinations of zoned elementary and middle schools based on the sum of each of their Performance and All-Around scores.
Technicality: These are combinations where both schools are designated 'zoned' and the elementary school's address falls within the middle school's zone boundaries. While it's a good proxy, not every address in a given elementary zone fits within a middle school zone. If you're planning on being in the same location, check whether your specific address falls within both the elementary and middle school zones for your target schools.
1. P.S. 005 Huguenot + I.S. 007 Elias Bernstein (Staten Island)
Total Score: 388.4
Neighborhood: Annadale-Huguenot-Prince's Bay-Eltingville
Great Elementary Zoned Alternatives:
- P.S. 003 The Margaret Gioiosa School
Map: I.S. 007 Elias Bernstein, toggle to Middle School Zones
2. P.S. 094 David D. Porter + J.H.S. 067 Louis Pasteur (Queens)
Total Score: 384.2
Neighborhood: Douglas Manor-Douglaston-Little Neck
Great Elementary Zoned Alternatives:
- P.S. 098 The Douglaston School
- P.S. 221 The North Hills School
Map: J.H.S. 067 Louis Pasteur, toggle to Middle School Zones
3. P.S. 196 Grand Central Parkway + J.H.S. 157 Stephen A. Halsey (Queens)
Total Score: 381.1
Neighborhood: Forest Hills
Map: J.H.S. 157 Stephen A. Halsey, toggle to Middle School Zones
4. P.S. 8 Shirlee Solomon + I.S. 024 Myra S. Barnes (Staten Island)
Total Score: 372.4
Neighborhood: Great Kills
Great Elementary Zoned Alternatives:
- P.S. 050 Frank Hankinson
- The Barbara Esselborn School
Map: I.S. 024 Myra S. Barnes, toggle to Middle School Zones
5. P.S. 041 Crocheron + M.S. 158 Marie Curie (Queens)
Total Score: 368.7
Neighborhood: Bayside-Bayside Hills
Great Elementary Zoned Alternatives:
- P.S. 203 Oakland Gardens
- P.S. 376
Map: M.S. 158 Marie Curie, toggle to Middle School Zones
6. P.S. 079 Francis Lewis + J.H.S. 185 Edward Bleeker (Queens)
Total Score: 367.7
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
Map: J.H.S. 185 Edward Bleeker, toggle to Middle School Zones
7. P.S. 127 McKinley Park + J.H.S. 259 William McKinley (Brooklyn)
Total Score: 363.2
Neighborhood: Dyker Heights
Great Elementary Zoned Alternatives:
- Ralph A. Fabrizio School
Map: J.H.S. 259 William McKinley, toggle to Middle School Zones
8. P.S. 183 Robert L. Stevenson + J.H.S. 167 Robert F. Wagner (Manhattan)
Total Score: 363.1
Neighborhood: Lenox Hill-Roosevelt Island
Great Elementary Zoned Alternatives:
- East Side Elementary School, PS 267
- P.S. 006 Lillie D. Blake
- P.S. 290 Manhattan New School
- P.S. 527 - East Side School for Social Action
Map: J.H.S. 167 Robert F. Wagner, toggle to Middle School Zones
9. P.S. 205 Alexander Graham Bell + J.H.S. 074 Nathaniel Hawthorne (Queens)
Total Score: 360.0
Neighborhood: Oakland Gardens
Great Elementary Zoned Alternatives:
- P.S. 046 Alley Pond
Map: J.H.S. 074 Nathaniel Hawthorne, toggle to Middle School Zones
10. P.S. 040 Augustus Saint-Gaudens + J.H.S. 104 Simon Baruch (Manhattan)
Total Score: 358.7
Neighborhood: Gramercy
Great Elementary Zoned Alternatives:
- P.S. 059 Beekman Hill International
- The River School
Map: J.H.S. 104 Simon Baruch, toggle to Middle School Zones
Honorable Mention
- P.S. 6 Corporal Allan F. Kivlehan School + I.S. 034 Tottenville (Staten Island)
- The James J. Ambrose School + Irwin Altman Middle School 172 (Queens)
- P.S. 209 Clearview Gardens + J.H.S. 194 William Carr (Queens)
- P.S. 032 The Gifford School + I.S. 075 Frank D. Paulo (Staten Island)
Closing Thoughts
Staten Island and Queens take the cake for most neighborhoods with great zoned duos. Even though many Manhattan and Brooklyn neighborhoods are known for their school quality (think Upper West Side and Park Slope), very few actually have a high performing combination of zoned elementary and middle schools. These places just tend to have more non-zoned schools for grades 6-8.
In these rankings, it's also clear that some neighborhoods have several great duos oriented around one strong zoned middle school - the Upper East Side has five(!) high scoring zoned elementary schools in the boundary for J.H.S. 167 Robert F. Wagner. In many cases, an alternative elementary option is just as good as the one included in the duo, which just goes to show you how many more strong elementary schools have zoned admissions.
In other duos, one particularly strong school can pull up the collective score. For example, P.S. 196 Grand Central Parkway in Forest Hills is the highest scoring elementary school in all of Queens, which pulls ranking of its duo up to #3 in the city. As with everything, it's good to do your own research into both schools and make sure you like each before applying.
Hopefully this post has helped you discover a new school you hadn't considered or opened your eyes to the difference between elementary and middle school zoned options in the city. For more details on any school, you can look up its profile on the site and check out its useful links to official city sources.