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Our Insights

What’s Special

Kids learn in innovative ways

The Downside

Open-ended projects may not suit every child

Quest to Learn offers a novel approach to education based on the principles that make video games enjoyable. It's a radical experiment that may sound flaky, but Q2L is not an oasis for students looking to play video games all day. It's a place where kids learn traditional subjects like history, algebra and chemistry, albeit in an untraditional way.

For example, students pretend they are spies in ancient Greece and re-enact the Peloponnesian War, learning about Athens and Sparta and the difference between oligarchy and democracy in the process. They make up a game to save an imaginary town from environmental disaster, learning real science along the way, or plan a food truck business using math skills.

There are lots of weird names and some techie jargon in the middle school: "Codeworlds" is math, "Mission Lab" is a place where teachers meet to plan lessons, and "systems thinking" is—well, we still aren't really sure what that is. (The high school uses traditional course names so as not to confuse colleges.)

In many ways Quest looks like other schools that incorporate group work and projects. We saw kids clustered around laptops chatting about their latest "quest," as their assignments are called, or engrossed in science experiments. We also saw some kids seated at desks in rows, plenty of old-fashioned textbooks, and students' essays posted on the bulletin boards as you might see in a traditional school.

Children enjoy an unusual amount of choice in their activities: a “menu” of options in history includes making a 30-card quiz on important people and events of the Boston Tea Party. Kids and teachers said class time is about half teacher-led discussion and half project work. Some kids sat idly during open-ended tasks; in the game design, technology and arts class called “Sports of the Mind,” we watched a 6th grader hesitate before the 2-D simulation software Algadoo, while the child next to her assembled a car that zoomed across the screen in minutes.

Students take the same standardized tests as other schools, and all 8th graders take Earth Science and algebra Regents exams. This is a significant challenge because one-third of the students at Q2L have special needs. “We have students who can analyze college texts working together with students who are learning to decode [three-letter] words,” said assistant principal Devin Fitzgibbons.

Fortunately, there are two teachers in most classes, and New York University provides a dozen student volunteers. The guidance counselor runs small support groups such as a social interaction group, a girls leadership group and a foster care group. One of the most winning characteristics of Q2L is how friendly and helpful kids are to each other in class.

Q2L opened in 2009, and the first class graduated in 2016, the year Nicholas Jurman took the helm. He and assistant principal Tim Jones immediately worked to “tighten up systems” to combat a downward slide, shown on school surveys, in the areas of discipline, order and leadership under the previous administration.

Jurman addressed complaints of bullying, boredom, and too much test prep in the high school. He added Regents classes for all 8th graders and more Advanced Placement classes. The school’s founding partner, Institute of Play, now works with high school teachers twice a month to plan lessons based on game design. Peer mediation and peer mentoring programs help curb bullying. We saw no rude behavior on our visit except when a child banged loudly on the principal’s office door to retrieve his skateboard. NYC School Surveys have improved under Jurman’s leadership.

Q2L attracts some highly educated teachers from colleges such as Brown, Harvard and Columbia. Twice a year students tackle teacher-designed “boss-level” challenges for a week instead of attending regular classes. These challenges allow self-starters to shine: a 10th grade transfer student wowed everyone with her TED talk on the importance of making feminine hygiene products available to girls and women; a 7th grader designed a foster dog adoption agency. One challenge involves visiting important World War II sites and viewing docudramas to create a World War II museum to teach other students about the war.

About 20 students earn placements at Bronx Science, LaGuardia, Stuyvesant, Beacon and other specialized and sought-after schools. “They show off their work and investigations and those schools want them,” Fitzgibbons said.

In addition to getting support from Parsons The New School, the Institute of Play has some heavy-hitting funders, including the Gates Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation.

Q2L is housed in a wing of the Bayard Rustin Educational Complex, a building with a number of small high schools that share a cafeteria and renovated library.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: Students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) fit right in with the rest of the student body. Many of the special education teachers have more than 10 years experience, Fitzgibbons said. (Lydie Raschka, September 2017)

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School Stats

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

Is this school safe and well-run?

From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey

How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
75%
81% Citywide Average
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
61%
52% Citywide Average
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
85%
78% Citywide Average

From the 2019-20 NY State Report Card

How many students were suspended?
3%
2% Citywide Average

From this school's most recent Quality Review Report

Are teachers effective?

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
80%
80% Citywide Average
Years of principal experience at this school
0.9

How do students perform academically?

From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database

How many middle school students scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
30%
42% Citywide Average
How many middle school students scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
57%
51% Citywide Average

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

How many 8th-graders earn high school credit?
0%
60% Citywide Average
How many students graduate in 4 years?
79%
91% Citywide Average

Who does this school serve?

From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Enrollment
480
Asian
8%
Black
26%
Hispanic
42%
White
17%
Other
6%
Free or reduced priced lunch
66%
Students with disabilities
34%
English language learners
3%

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

Average daily attendance
82%
86% Citywide Average
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
54%
45% Citywide Average

From the 2020 School Directories

Uniforms required?
No

How does this school serve special populations?

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
64%
85% Citywide Average

From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database

How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
0%
7% Citywide Average
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

Quest to Learn Upper School (A25A)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

Spanish

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Environmental Science, AP Studio Art - 2D, Calculus (Advanced Math), Chemistry (Advanced Science), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)

Boys PSAL teams

Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Soccer, Volleyball, Wrestling

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Bowling, Softball, Tennis, Volleyball

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

351 West 18 Street
Manhattan NY 10011

Trains: 1 Line to 18th St; A Line, C Line, E Line, L Line to 14th St

Buses: M11, M12, M14A-SBS, M14D-SBS, M20, M23-SBS, M55, M7, SIM1C, SIM33C, SIM3C, SIM4C


Contact

Principal: Marina Galazidis

Parent Coordinator: Beaura Ringrose

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Bayard Rustin Educational Campus with five other schools

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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