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Queens High School for the Sciences at York College

Grades: 9-12
Staff Pick

Our Insights

What’s Special

A challenging curriculum on a college campus; research opportunities

The Downside

Students are stressed

The Queens High School for the Sciences at York College combines the intimacy of a small school with the course offerings and facilities of a college campus. Students have a remarkable opportunity to conduct research with York College professors.

One of three specialized high schools housed on a CUNY campus, Queens Sci is a place where  “teachers know their students,” Assistant Principal Darlene Dobbs said. On a tour for prospective parents, we saw teachers tutoring small groups of three students. A student in an art class said that students of different ages tend to help one another out.

Dobbs said one student completed research with a math professor at York College and went on to participate in the Intel Science Talent Search (currently known as the Regeneron Science Talent Search).

Students have access to the college’s library, science and computer labs, theater, cafeteria, physical education building and pool. The high school itself, however, is quite small, occupying just one floor comprised of some classrooms, science labs, computer labs and offices.

Even though there is a focus on science, the school offers humanities and social science electives such as international relations and science fiction. Students have taken College Now courses, taught by York College professors, not only in the natural sciences but also in sociology and psychology.

A downside: Students are stressed, and the school doesn’t always have the guidance staff to fully address students’ “social-emotional issues,” according to the school’s Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP). The school is working to address this. For example, guidance counselors spoke about healthy relationships and plan to give presentations on suicide prevention, according to a parent newsletter. ThriveNYC, a citywide mental health initiative started by Chirlane McCray, brings speakers to the school to discuss students’ emotional well-being.

Outside of academics, students participate in 22 clubs and a handful of PSAL sports like bowling, swimming, handball and tennis. Dobbs highlighted one particularly popular club called No Place for Hate, part of an initiative to encourage students to fight bullying and discrimination and to foster more inclusive school communities.

Ana De Jesus became principal in 2016. Previously, she had served as principal at the Bronx High School of Business and assistant principal at Herbert H. Lehman High School. De Jesus is the third principal to run the school in just five years.

The school has three counselors that are responsible for providing all students socio-emotional support as well as guidance throughout the college process, explained guidance counselor Yvette Talley. Graduates go to Ivy League schools, highly competitive small liberal arts schools, SUNYs and CUNYs, and local colleges and universities, she said.

The school is located right off the E, J, and Z trains in Jamaica, Queens. The majority of students are from Queens, however some travel from Brooklyn and one student from the Bronx. Students hail from Bangladesh, Korea, China, Pakistan, Poland, Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Germany, Mexico, Peru, Germany, England and India. Many students are bilingual, some even trilingual.

(Katharine Safter, May 2018)

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School Stats

Citywide Average Key
This school is Better Near Worse than the citywide average

Academics

School
Citywide
How many students graduate in 4 years?
 
99%
Average daily attendance
 
97%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
6%
From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide and 2020-21 NYC School Survey

Students

520
Number of students
Citywide Average is 599

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
64%
Students with disabilities
 
1%
Multilingual learners
 
0%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
0%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
95%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
20%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
18%
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
43%
5.9
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
218
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 157

Teachers’ Race/Ethnicity


How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
77%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey, 2021-22 School Quality Guide, 2019-20 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2021 Guidance Counselor Report, and this school's most recent Quality Review Report

Advanced Courses

Which students have access to advanced courses at this school? Learn more

Calculus

 
36%

Computer Science

 
20%

Physics

 
41%

Advanced Foreign Language

 
51%

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
100%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
80%

Music

 
25%
From unpublished, anonymized data from the 2021-22 school year provided by the New York State Education Department, brought to you by

College Readiness

School
Citywide
How many students graduate with test scores high enough to enroll at CUNY without remedial help?
 
100%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
100%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
100%
From the 2020-21 and 2021-22 School Quality Guide
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
92%
From the 2022-23 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought you by
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Programs & Admissions

From the 2024 High School Directory

Queens High School for the Sciences at York College (Q00S)

Admissions Method: Test

Program Description:

Admission to this Specialized High School is based solely on the score earned on the Specialized High Schools Admission Test (SHSAT). Students should speak to their school counselors in the Fall to register for the SHSAT.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

Mandarin, Spanish

Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

94-50 159 Street
Queens NY 11433

Trains: E Line, J Line, Z Line to Parsons Blvd-Archer Av - Jamaica Center

Buses: Q1, Q110, Q111, Q112, Q113, Q114, Q17, Q2, Q20A, Q20B, Q24, Q25, Q3, Q30, Q31, Q34, Q36, Q4, Q40, Q41, Q42, Q43, Q44-SBS, Q5, Q54, Q56, Q6, Q60, Q65, Q76, Q8, Q83, Q84, Q85, Q9, X64


Contact

Principal: Ana De Jesus

Parent Coordinator: Sharda Gosine

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? No

This school is in its own building.

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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