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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

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?
68%
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?
74%
78% Citywide Average

From the 2019-20 NY State Report Card

How many students were suspended?
1%
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?
92%
80% Citywide Average
Years of principal experience at this school
1.1

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?
51%
42% Citywide Average
How many middle school students scored 3-4 on the state reading exam?
58%
51% Citywide Average

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

How many 8th-graders earn high school credit?
43%
60% Citywide Average
How many students graduate in 4 years?
87%
91% Citywide Average

Who does this school serve?

From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Enrollment
657
Asian
26%
Black
35%
Hispanic
25%
White
2%
Other
12%
Free or reduced priced lunch
87%
Students with disabilities
15%
English language learners
10%

From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide

Average daily attendance
84%
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 English language learners graduate in 4 years?
74%
80% Citywide Average

From the New York State 2022-2023 Assessment Database

How many English language learners scored 3-4 on the state math exam?
15%
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

Queens Collegiate (Q05A)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

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 Directory

Language 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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

167-01 Gothic Drive
Queens NY 11432

Trains: F Line to 169th St

Buses: Q1, Q17, Q2, Q25, Q3, Q30, Q31, Q34, Q36, Q43, Q65, Q76, Q77, X68


Contact

Principal: James Harrell

Parent Coordinator: Roger Erskine

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Jamaica Educational Campus with three other schools

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? Yes

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