Our Insights
What’s Special
Big school perks with small school warmth and attention
The Downside
Metal detectors
Housed in the majestic Jamaica High School Campus, Queens Collegiate offers lively classes, lots of art and music, and a principal who seems to know every student by name. The school, which serves children in grades 6 to 12, does a particularly good job boosting the achievement of kids who arrive in 6th grade with weak academic skills.
The school welcomes anyone who wants to be here, including kids who arrive mid-year, English Language Learners, and those who receive special education services. While test scores are only average, middle school children show excellent growth compared to where they started, according to the School Quality Snapshot. Children in a special reading program made one-years progress in just four months, said founding Principal Jaime Dubei.
Students may speak Spanish, Bengali, Punjabi, Arabic, Hindi or Haitian Creole at home, and the school does a good job helping them perfect their English, both during their regular classes and in an afterschool program in English as a Second Language. Many classes have two teachers, one of whom is certified in special education.
Kids seem happy, engaged and respectful. The school has a gentle tone; there is a quiet hum of activity and no adults raised their voices during our visit.
In one class, we saw kids sing, play the piano, and strum a guitarperforming a rock song they wrote themselves. In an advisory group of 12 children, a teacher read aloud the Langston Hughes story Thank You Maam, then encouraged discussion of the feelings it evoked. In a 6th grade math class, kids pondered whether to calculate the median or the mean to find the typical salary of a player for the New York Knicks. In a global history class, children walked around stations in the room, each with a poster explaining how technological innovations such as navigational tools, the printing press and gunpowder helped pave the way for the Age of Exploration.
The school offers a challenging college prep curriculum. Eighth graders take Living Environment and many receive high school credit. Most students take 4 years of high school math and 4 years of science. The school offers a range of Advanced Placement classes. AP Psychology is almost an institution here, says Dubei.
The small schools that share the Jamaica campus have campus-wide sport teams, including some unusual ones like football, co-ed Double Dutch and cricket (popular with students from Indian and Bangladesh). Other campus-wide activities include a movie-night, dances and a student-produced musical. Dubei says Queens Collegiate offers big school perks with the warmth of a small school. Another perk: students may go outside after lunch, and on our visit we saw kids playing an improvised game of touch football on the lush lawn. A downside: Students must pass through metal detectors to enter the building.
The school was founded with the help of the College Board, the organization that administers the SAT. Although the school is no longer affiliated with the College Board, the name has not changed. Most graduates go on to CUNY and SUNY campuses; Dubei says counselors encourage children to go away to college, although many immigrant parents prefer to keep their children close to home.
SPECIAL EDUCATION: The school offers flexible programming for children with special needs. For example, a student may be assigned to a self-contained class for some subjects and a team-teaching class for others.
(Clara Hemphill, May 2017)
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School Stats
Is this school safe and well-run?
From the 2022-2023 NYC School Survey
From the 2019-20 NY State Report Card
From this school's most recent Quality Review Report
From 2023 End-of-year Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism Report
How do students perform academically?
From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide
Who does this school serve?
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide
How does this school serve special populations?
From 2023 End-of-year Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism Report
From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database
Programs & Admissions
From the 2024 High School DirectoryQueens Collegiate (Q05A)
Program Description:
Students are offered a well-rounded education that includes arts (theater, music, or visual art) each year throughout high school. We also offer numerous AP courses and academic intervention to ensure each child's needs are met.
Offerings
From the 2024 High School DirectoryLanguage Courses
Spanish
Advanced Courses
Algebra II (Advanced Math), Algebra II (College Course [Credited]), AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Computer Science Principles, AP United States History, AP World History: Modern, Chemistry (Advanced Science), ELA (College Course [Credited]), Physics (Advanced Science), Physics (College Course [Uncredited]), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)
Boys PSAL teams
Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Fencing, Football, Lacrosse, Outdoor Track, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling
Girls PSAL teams
Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Flag Football, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Volleyball
Coed PSAL teams
Cricket, Golf, Stunt
Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools
Contact & Location
Location
167-01 Gothic Drive
Queens
NY
11432
Trains: to 169th St
Buses: Q1, Q17, Q2, Q25, Q3, Q30, Q31, Q34, Q36, Q43, Q65, Q76, Q77, X68
Contact
Other Details
This school shares the Jamaica Educational Campus with three other schools
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