The top reported proficiency rate is 84% in Math. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Robert F Wagner Jr Secondary School for Arts and Technology
Robert F. Wagner Jr. Secondary School for Arts and Technology is a public middle and high school serving grades six through twelve in Long Island City, Queens. It sits within New York City Geographic District 24, which covers Corona, Elmhurst, Ridgewood, Maspeth, Glendale, and Middle Village, and enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with substantial shares of Asian, white, and other students. About four-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the families the school serves.
Academic performance on New York State testing shows a mixed profile by grade. In sixth and seventh grade, students demonstrate strong math results, with around three-quarters proficient or above in grade six and over nine-tenths in grade seven. Seventh grade also shows high proficiency in English language arts, just under ninety-three percent. Eighth grade drops noticeably on both subjects, with roughly two-thirds of students proficient or above in English and a participation rate too low in math to report results. No students sat for eighth-grade science testing, so that subject has no data. Overall proficiency across the tested grades and subjects places the school in the top quartile among district schools in Queens County, though readers should understand this reflects strong seventh-grade performance pulling the average upward against a decline by eighth grade.
High school testing data was not available in the information provided, so no picture of ninth through twelfth grade outcomes appears here. State testing in New York does not require assessment of high school grades, which may mean the school relies on Regents exams, AP results, or other measures not included in this data set. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how student learning is measured in grades nine through twelve and what pathways and accomplishments students pursue in those grades.
The school's name signals a focus on arts and technology, though specific program details were not provided. District 24 more broadly offers dual-language instruction in Spanish and Chinese at several of its schools, drawing students across the district, but whether those programs exist at Wagner was not stated. The school serves a grade six through twelve span, making it a pathway school that can retain students from early secondary through graduation, and the enrollment of around six hundred students keeps it a manageable size within the New York City public system.
Long Island City itself is undergoing rapid transformation. Once an industrial neighborhood, it has become one of the city's fastest-growing residential areas, home to art galleries, studios, converted warehouses, and new high-rise housing and office towers. The neighborhood is densely served by subway lines, buses, Citi Bike, and waterfront parks like Gantry Plaza State Park, making it largely walkable and car-optional. Housing costs have risen sharply and are well above both state and national benchmarks. Families moving to the area or staying in it often face rent burden; the publicly reported figure suggests roughly a third of residents are rent-burdened despite the neighborhood's affluent appearance. Schools in the area are being added to accommodate growth, including new elementary schools and a new project-based K-5 school beginning in fall 2026, but District 24 as a whole faces a paradox: some buildings remain overcrowded while the district is projected to lose enrollment over the next decade, a demographic shift reflecting the high cost of living and the tendency of young families to move away as children grow.
For families choosing or staying in Long Island City, Wagner offers a pathway from middle school through graduation in a neighborhood with strong transit, cultural activity, and employment anchors, alongside significant affordability pressures and shifting enrollment trends across its district.
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