The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in English language arts. The lowest is 43% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on New York City Geographic District #28
NYC Geographic District #28, which spans parts of Queens, serves pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade across a portfolio that includes traditional public schools, career-and-technical education programs, specialized high schools, and schools with thematic focuses in arts, sciences, and health professions. The district's enrollment reflects Queens' diversity: substantial shares of students identify as Hispanic, Asian, and Black, with smaller populations of white, Native American, Pacific Islander, and multiracial students. Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available, and neither was the breakdown of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners.
In the elementary grades, proficiency rates in math and English language arts show a pattern of reasonably strong early performance that softens as students advance. Third and fourth graders show stronger results, with math proficiency in the low-to-mid range and ELA in the mid-to-upper range for this grade band. By fifth grade, both subjects remain solid, though math begins to decline. A notable dip occurs in sixth and seventh grades, where both subjects settle into the mid-to-low range. Eighth grade shows a steep drop in both math and ELA, a pattern that also appears in science, where fifth-grade proficiency is near the low-to-mid boundary and eighth-grade proficiency falls to the low range. Participation rates for eighth-grade testing are markedly lower than in earlier grades, which may reflect tracking into different programs or course sequences at the middle-to-high school transition; this is a pattern a parent may want to look into further with the district to understand what options exist at that level.
Among Queens County's districts, District 28's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint, meaning it performs better than the median on state assessments. However, chronic absenteeism runs somewhat above the median for the county, suggesting that attendance is an area where the district faces headwinds. Graduation rate data was not available, and per-pupil spending figures were similarly absent.
The district has undergone two significant curriculum changes recently. All elementary schools now use one of three mandated reading programs aligned with the science of reading, a shift away from a model where schools designed their own literacy approaches. This mandate began in late 2024 and is expected to extend to middle schools by 2027. The city has also expanded Gifted & Talented programming, introducing a third-grade entry point alongside the traditional kindergarten entry and shifting from a single high-stakes test to a screening model based on core grades. This expansion ensures every district, including District 28, has at least one G&T program, and the new approach has drawn a more diverse applicant pool.
A major infrastructure change is underway: Queens High School for the Sciences, the borough's only specialized high school with seats reserved for District 28 residents, is relocating to a newly constructed building within the district for the 2026-27 school year. The new facility will include a cafeteria, gymnasium, library, and dedicated science labs, allowing enrollment to expand significantly over the next few years. This upgrade increases access to a highly selective school serving the district and neighboring areas.
The district operates roughly fifty schools spanning elementary, middle, and high school levels, including several with specialized missions in health sciences, law enforcement, arts, and STEM fields. Career-and-technical pathways are available at the high school level through programs like Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School.
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