Is 5 Walter Crowley Intermediate School (the), Elmhurst NY

Original Research by School Decision on Is 5 Walter Crowley Intermediate School (the)

IS 5 Walter Crowley Intermediate School serves grades six through eight in Elmhurst, Queens, a densely built, highly diverse neighborhood anchored by major commercial corridors and subway lines. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic and Asian, with a very substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The neighborhood around the school is walkable, mixed-use, and embedded in one of Queens's busiest retail and commercial zones. It is amid a growth phase, with mixed-use development and rezoning changing the character of the surrounding blocks.

The school's academic performance shows a clear grade-level pattern. Sixth and eighth graders show lower proficiency in math, while seventh grade demonstrates notably stronger results in both math and English Language Arts. In ELA, performance rises from sixth to seventh grade, then moderates slightly in eighth. In science, measured only in eighth grade, proficiency is in the lower range. Across the board, participation rates in eighth-grade math and science testing are substantially lower than in other grades, a pattern that warrants direct inquiry with the school about what accounts for the drop-off in test-taking. Relative to other districts in Queens County, the school's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint. A parent may want to ask the school directly about the grade-level variation and the eighth-grade testing participation, as those patterns could reflect curricular shifts, transitions, cohort differences, or logistical factors the school can explain.

The school is a regular public school, part of NYC Geographic District 24, which encompasses Corona, Elmhurst, Ridgewood, Maspeth, Glendale, and Middle Village. District 24 has faced chronic overcrowding, though the district is undertaking capital investment to add seats through new elementary school construction. The district is also projected to experience significant student loss over the next decade, a demographic shift families should consider when planning to move into the area. Some District 24 schools offer dual-language programs in Spanish or Chinese, an option that reflects the area's large immigrant and multilingual population; whether IS 5 offers such a program is not indicated in the available data.

The Elmhurst housing market is appreciating and rental costs are rising. Median home values and rental costs both exceed state benchmarks. The neighborhood itself is high-transit, with five subway lines serving it, and offers abundant street-level commercial and community activity. The recent library renovation and parks provide civic anchors. Like much of Central Queens, Elmhurst is experiencing active development with new mixed-use and residential projects; this growth brings new jobs and amenities but also carries resident concerns about displacement and character change.

The school serves an economically vulnerable population; enrollment data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available. More information on special education and English learner services, as well as school-specific programs or pathway offerings, would help a parent evaluate fit. The school itself sits within a district managing significant structural transition, so asking about the school's response to enrollment decline and its approach to instruction across the grade span would be prudent before enrollment.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

New York Regents Exams

3 courses reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Math	170	89.0%
Science	168	83.0%
Social Studies	167	83.0%

Math

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 42% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 766%

School 66% · District 50% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 36% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 43% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 764%

School 64% · District 47% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 49% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Science

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 34% · ▼ 1 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #24, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income61%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income62%Higher-income81%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income57%Higher-income61%4 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income50%11 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income64%Higher-income82%19 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income41%Higher-income35%6 pp gap