I.S. 204 Oliver W. Holmes

MS 204 in Long Island City is a neighborhood middle school with a special science program, a well-regarded program for children on the autism spectrum, and a dual language program designed to make children fluent in both Spanish and English.

“Every time I walk in, it's like I'm walking into the best-kept secret in Queens,” a mother wrote InsideSchools, praising both the ASD NEST program for children on the autism spectrum and the magnet STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program that’s open to children from District 30.

Children take field trips to the nearby Museum of the Moving Image; to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in Manhattan and to other science museums.

While parents responding to school surveys are enthusiastic about Principal Faye Erstejn Kotzer, teachers are more critical. Fewer than half the teachers say she is an effective manager and fewer than half say they trust her, according to school surveys.

The school shares a building with Energy Tech High School.

Admissions: A zoned neighborhood school, MS 204 admits children from District 30 to its STEM magnet program. Student from anywhere in Queens may apply to the dual language program, with a preference to Spanish speakers. (Clara Hemphill, web reports, May 2019)