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Our Insights

What’s Special

Students graduate with two years of college credit

The Downside

Heavy homework load

Bard High School Early College Queens offers an intellectually stimulating environment, the opportunity to get to know teachers well, and a college office that provides an unusual level of support. Like its sister school in Manhattan, Bard Queens compresses the work of four years of high school and two years of college into four years, and students graduate with both a high school diploma and a two-year associate's degree.

The school makes an effort not only to enroll students of different races, ethnic groups and backgrounds, but also to make them feel welcome once they arrive. Black Lives Matter posters in the corridors, a special section of books about LGBTQ issues in the school library, and antibias training for the teachers are hallmarks of a school that takes diversity seriously. The school actively recruits low-income students and sets aside 63 percent of its seats for students who are eligible for free or reduced price lunch.

Class size is 18 to 22, significantly smaller than the typical New York City high school class size of 34. That means teachers have time to give students individual attention and help them revise their research papers. The smaller classes are possible because the school receives significant financial support from Bard College. “I have a nice connection with every teacher I have had,” one girl told us.

Bard Queens is a serious place. When you ask the kids what they do for fun, they might tell you how they make jokes about imaginary numbers, or research the effects of ballet on the brain, or coach a little sister’s elementary school chess team. A favorite school event: Pi Day (March 14, get it?), when students bake pies and see who can recite the most decimals of pi.

The workload is heavy, and three hours of homework a night is typical. (One girl told us she does five hours of homework a night.) Grading policies are punishing, and kids who got easy As in middle school find they have to work hard to get Cs at Bard. But students seem happy and engaged, and the work, they say, is interesting—never busy work.

Students complete the high school curriculum in their first two years. For example, they study U.S and Latin American history in their first year and World History—typically a two-year course—in their second year. They choose Spanish, Latin or Chinese to learn as a foreign language. In their second two years, they choose from a range of college courses such as African history, Race and Power in America, organic chemistry and computer science.  

“I may not have gotten a grounding in world history in just one year, but I got to take a course about Alexander Hamilton, and one on gender studies, and one on the ‘constructs of self,’” one girl told us.

Housed in leased space on the 6th and 7th floors of an office building that also houses the High School of Applied Communication and the Academy of Finance and Enterprise, Bard Queens has sunny rooms and well-lit corridors that circle an interior atrium. White walls and dark green lockers give the space a crisp, clean feel. There are dance studios, an art room and a small theater, but no gymnasium. Physical education is taught in an exercise room.

The school’s college counselor gives thoughtful advice not only about admissions but also about financial aid. Many graduates enter CUNY, SUNY or Bard College as juniors. Graduates have also been admitted to Vassar, Haverford, Barnard, Brandeis and Mount Holyoke.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: The school typically does not serve a lot of students with special needs, but those who attend get a lot of support. Some students take a special class designed to teach organizational skills. The school offers team-teaching classes and special education teacher support services (SETSS).

(Clara Hemphill, 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%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
87%
Average daily attendance
 
94%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
16%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
60%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
80%
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide and 2022-23 NYC School Survey

Students

666
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
63%
Students with disabilities
 
13%
Multilingual learners
 
1%
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?
 
90%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
38%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
24%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
86%
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
90%
1.1
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
224
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 191
How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
85%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey, 2022-23 School Quality Guide, 2021-22 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2023 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

 
11%

Computer Science

Not offered in 2021-21

Physics

 
34%

Advanced Foreign Language

 
11%

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

Not offered in 2021-21

AP/IB Math or Science

Not offered in 2021-21

Music

 
47%
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?
 
99%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
99%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
85%
From the 2020-21 and 2022-23 School Quality Guide

How many graduates who are eligible received Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funding to attend a NYS college?
 
41%
This shows how well this school supports low-income students to get funding for college.
How many of those TAP recipients made it through college? Learn more
From unpublished, anonymized student-level data for the class of 2016-17 provided by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) in coordination with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), brought to you by
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
86%
From the 2022-23 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought to you by Visit Understanding FAFSA for help with the FAFSA and financial aid.
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

Bard High School Early College Queens (Q74B)

Admissions Method: Screened With Assessment

Requirements:

  • Average Course Grades - 10%
  • Humanities Writing - 30%
  • STEM Writing - 30%
  • Video - 30%

Program Description:

Inquiry and critical thinking promoted across all subject areas. For more information about how to complete this program's application requirements, please visit www.bardqueenstest.com. Soon, you will be able to upload your completed assignment through MySchools. Learn more at https://www.schools.nyc.gov/AssessmentHS

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

Arabic, Latin, Mandarin, Spanish

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), Arts (College Course [Credited]), Biology (College Course [Credited]), Calculus (College Course [Credited]), Chemistry (Advanced Science), Chemistry (College Course [Credited]), Comp Sci/Math Tech (College Course [Credited]), Econ/Gov (College Course [Credited]), ELA (College Course [Credited]), Global History (College Course [Credited]), Math (College Course [Credited]), Other (College Course [Credited]), Physics (Advanced Science), Physics (College Course [Credited]), Science (College Course [Credited]), US History (College Course [Credited]), World Languages (Advanced World Languages), World Languages (College Course [Credited])

Boys PSAL teams

Basketball, Cross Country, Outdoor Track, Soccer, Table Tennis, Wrestling

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Cross Country, Flag Football, Outdoor Track, Rugby, Soccer, Table Tennis, Volleyball

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

30-20 Thomson Avenue
Queens NY 11101

Trains: 7 Line to Rawson St-33rd St; E Line, M Line, R Line to Queens Plaza; G Line to Long Island City-Court Square; N Line, Q Line to Queensboro Plaza

Buses: B62, Q100, Q101, Q102, Q32, Q39, Q60, Q66, Q67, Q69, X63, X64, X68


Contact

Principal: Laura Hymson

Parent Coordinator: Evelena Plummer

Phone: 718-361-3133

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the building with the HS of Applied Communication and the Academy of Finance and Enterprise

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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