A Message from InsideSchools: The data below is the most up-to-date data available from City and State systems. We are working hard to update the narratives for all schools. We welcome your insights in the Comments section. Questions? Ask us!

Young Women's Leadership School, Queens (TYWLS)

Grades: 6-12
Staff Pick for Special Ed Noteworthy

Our Insights

What’s Special

A supportive environment and high academic standards

The Downside

Small gym and no outside space

One of a network of small, all-girls public schools, the Young Women’s Leadership School, Queens is a welcoming place that emphasizes academics and college-readiness and also works to help girls develop emotionally and socially.

School corridors are lined with encouraging quotes and messages cheering the girls on and recognizing their achievements. Students are friendly and polite.

Virtually 100 percent of students graduate on time and are accepted to college, with an average financial aid package of $20,000, according to Principal Mala Panday. Many will be the first in their families to attend college. 

“We talk to girls as if [college] is not a choice. It’s what you do here,” the college counselor, Jessica Kane, said. She begins working closely with girls in March of their junior year but students start visiting colleges in 6th grade.

TYWLS Queens admits students based on test scores and report cards but there is a big range of academic abilities. Teachers try to address this in various ways, asking girls to help one another, or offering three versions of a similar assignment. Still, some students think they’re not getting enough help, according to a Department of Education school survey.

For their part, many teachers indicated on the survey they would like to see better training programs and more collaboration. 

Classes are fairly traditional, usually starting with a lesson delivered by a teacher at the front of the room. Students then work individually or in pairs on an assignment coming out of the lesson. The Quality Review said students would benefit from more class discussion.

Science and technology are a strength, with well-equipped science labs and a high school technology elective where girls design, write and code their own video games. In a 9th grade science, girls designed and built balloon popping contraptions incorporating simple machines,

As of the 2017-2018 school year, all high school students are required to major in one of four areas—arts, business and government, education and STEM—or create a major of their own. Students take specific courses and do community service work related to their fields.

Panday said the majors should make it easier for students to decide what to concentrate on in college. “It’s giving them an earlier experience at thinking what strengths they bring to the world,” she said.

She hopes the majors will also boost the college readiness rate among the Queens school graduates. Although that rate is about average for the city, it lags behind the school’s other statistics. To address that, students at the school who pass the Regents exams but do not score well enough to be considered college ready will get additional help and take the test a second, or even third time. A business algebra class is targeted at preparing the girls for college work.

Beginning in 2018, all 8th graders will take the algebra Regents exam. Some also take the Earth Science Regents. 

The small school has three full-time counselors. They are there, Panday says, so that all students—many of whom come from single-parent homes and may be juggling work and school—know there is an adult at school to whom they can talk. 

One senior described the school as “beautiful, a sisterhood.” Another said, “Since it’s a female school, we’re getting to have more of a voice.” But, even without boys there is still emotional drama, two 10th graders said–in fact, they agreed, there may be even more than at a co-ed school. 

Being part of the Young Women’s Leadership Network allows TYWLS Queens to offer more opportunities than usual for a school of its size, including grants for teachers, internships for students, trips and an array of clubs.

About half of the middle school students stay for high school. Those who leave often want a co-ed school or one with more sports. TWYLS Queens has a small gym and no outside space, forcing its champion track team to practice by running through the halls and up and down the stairs.

(Gail Robinson, November 2017)

 

Get more from InsideSchools

School Stats

Academics

School
Citywide
How many students graduate in 4 years?
 
99%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
100%
Average daily attendance
 
89%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
41%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
90%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achive the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
90%
From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide and 2020-21 NYC School Survey

Students

548
Number of students
591 Citywide Average

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
74%
Students with disabilities
 
16%
Multilingual learners
 
5%
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?
 
88%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
26%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
9%
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
88%
9.2
Years of principal experience at this school
8 Citywide Average
177
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
226 Citywide Average

Teachers’ Race/Ethnicity


How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
82%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey, 2021-22 School Quality Guide, 2019-20 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2021 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

Not offered in 2019-20

Computer Science

 
20%

Physics

 
0%

Advanced Foreign Language

 
28%

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
96%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
47%

Music

 
27%
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?
 
82%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
100%
From the 2020-21 and 2021-22 School Quality Guide
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
89%
From the 2022-23 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought you by
How many graduates of this school received Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funding to attend a NYS college?
 
60%
How many of those TAP recipients made it through college? Learn more
From unpublished, anonymized student-level data for the class of 2014 provided by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) in coordination with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), brought to you by
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Programs & Admissions

From the 2021 High School Directory

The Young Women's Leadership School, Queens

Admissions Method: Screened

Offerings

From the 2021 High School Directory

Language Courses

French, Spanish

Advanced Placement (AP) courses

AP Environmental Science, AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Calculus AB, AP United States History, AP 2-D Art and Design, AP Research, AP Seminar

Girls PSAL teams

Bowling, Cross Country, Flag Football, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

150-91 87th Road
Jamaica NY 11432

Trains: E Line, J Line, Z Line to Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer; F Line to Parsons Blvd

Buses: Q1, Q110, Q111, Q112, Q113, Q114, Q17, Q2, Q20A, Q20B, Q24, Q25, Q3, Q30, Q31, Q34, Q36, Q4, Q40, Q41, Q42, Q43, Q44-SBS, Q5, Q54, Q56, Q6, Q65, Q76, Q77, Q8, Q83, Q84, Q85, Q9, X68


Contact

Principal: Mala Panday

Parent Coordinator: Nicole Jean Remy

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? No

This school is in its own building.

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

Get more from InsideSchools

You may also like …

Queens Collegiate: A College Board School

167-01 Gothic Drive
Jamaica, NY 11432

Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School

160-20 Goethals Avenue
Jamaica, NY 11432

Comments

  • Is this your school? Please post any news, updates, events, changes, or other information!
  • We welcome questions, open discussions, and disagreements but comments with personal attacks, rude language, or those with seemingly malicious intent will be deleted.
  • Very long comments, those that contain links, or repeat comments may be blocked by our spam filter.
  • Problems? email us at [email protected].
  • Users must comply with our Terms of Use.

×