I.S. 125 Thom J. McCann Woodside

A huge, safe, and well-run middle school, IS 125 in Woodside has children whose families come from 60 different countries; effective teachers who work together as a team; and a principal who is respected by parents and staff.

A city evaluation called the Quality Review praised the school’s climate, its curriculum, and the quality of teaching. It gave IS 125 “well-developed,” the top rating, on every measure.

Languages spoken by children at the school include Chinese, Bengali, Arabic, Spanish, Urdu, Russian, Greek, Italian, Filipino, Polish, Korean, and French. Students learning English may get extra help at a Saturday Academy, according to the school’s Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP).  

All students may take dance, theatre, chorus, band, orchestra or art three times a week, according to the CEP. Top students may take Regents-level (high school) exams in algebra, 11th grade English, 11th grade U.S. History and Government, and Earth Science or Living Environment, as well as the foreign language proficiency exam.

Staff would like to increase parent involvement, and encourage more parents to volunteer at the school, according to the CEP.

Admissions: Neighborhood school. (Clara Hemphill, web reports, May 2019)