Enrollment
749
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Forest Hills, NY
Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway
Federal NCES profile for Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 360010002667
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of New York schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New York schools.
- #1 of 8
- schools in Forest Hills · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.3:1
- large classes for New York
- 19.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway has class sizes larger than 88% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway ranks #1 of 8 schools in Forest Hills, NY.
School address
District: New York City Geographic District #28 · New York
NCES ID 360010002667 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
+30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.4%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway
Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Forest Hills, New York, enrolling 749 students.
Class loads run heavy: 15.3:1 is larger than about 88% of New York schools and 30% above the 11.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.4% free-meal eligibility runs 65% below the New York average.
Enrollment of 749 puts it in the larger third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 527 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #173.
Its student body is led by Asian (43%) and White (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
15.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
New York City Geographic District #28 also operates Forest Hills High School (3,394 students) and Hillcrest High School (2,298 students) alongside Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway compares
Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.3:1 | ▲ 30% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.4% | ▼ 65% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 749 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
749
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 65% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 30% above state mean
Top 88% in New York - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Asian 43.3%
White 29.2%
Hispanic or Latino 16.3%
Two or More 9.3%
African American 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Asian at 43.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.2, Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
How Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Hills High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hillcrest High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thomas a Edison Career and Technical Education High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jhs 157 Stephen a Halsey | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jhs 217 Robert a Van Wyck | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,394
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,298
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,146
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,611
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,265
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~749 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway's federal record.
- Compare Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway against another school. Compare schools
- New York City Geographic District #28's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway
How many students attend Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway?
Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway has 749 students enrolled. It is a public school in Forest Hills, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway?
The student-teacher ratio at Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway is 15.3:1, which is 30% higher than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway?
19.4% of students at Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway?
The largest demographic group at Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway is Asian at 43.3% of enrollment, in Forest Hills, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway?
Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway rank among schools in Forest Hills?
By Resource Investment Index, Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway ranks #1 of 8 schools in Forest Hills, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Forest Hills on the city page.
Is Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway a good school?
Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of New York schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New York schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in New York City Geographic District #28?
Besides Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway, New York City Geographic District #28 also operates Forest Hills High School (3,394 students), Hillcrest High School (2,298 students), and Thomas a Edison Career and Technical Education High School (2,146 students). See the New York City Geographic District #28 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.