Jhs 74 Nathaniel Hawthorne, Bayside NY

Original Research by School Decision on Jhs 74 Nathaniel Hawthorne

JHS 74 Nathaniel Hawthorne sits in northeastern Queens, serving grades six through eight in the residential Bayside neighborhood. This is a traditional public middle school with a student body that leans heavily toward Asian families, reflecting Bayside's demographics: the school is roughly two-thirds Asian, with meaningful Hispanic representation and smaller shares of white and Black students. About half the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school's academic performance centers on solid state testing results across the board. In math, sixth graders show strong proficiency, seventh graders perform slightly higher, and eighth graders dip a few points but still land in the proficient range. English language arts follows a similar pattern: sixth grade and eighth grade track closely, with seventh grade performing somewhat better. Both subjects show reasonable participation rates, though eighth-grade math and science testing show notably lower participation, a pattern a parent may want to understand more directly with the school. Eighth-grade science proficiency is also solid. Across tested grades and subjects, this school's overall proficiency sits well above the midpoint among districts in Queens County, placing it in the top quartile regionally.

The school operates within New York City's new, mandated curriculum environment. District 26 has adopted the NYC Solves math initiative, meaning math instruction now follows one of a narrow set of approved, problem-based approaches rather than school-chosen materials. This is a deliberate city policy to standardize pedagogy. The same district has also implemented the NYC Reads literacy mandate in its elementary schools, though that does not directly apply to this middle school. For families moving through the system, these changes represent a systematic shift toward phonics-based reading instruction and conceptualized, rather than procedural, math teaching.

Bayside itself is an upper-middle-class, ethnically diverse neighborhood along Little Neck Bay with tree-lined streets, detached homes, and a mix of low-rise apartments and co-ops. The area centers on Bell Boulevard, a vibrant commercial strip with international dining and shops, anchored by a Long Island Rail Road commuter station. Waterfront parks including Fort Totten and Crocheron offer recreation and jogging paths. The neighborhood has been heavily down-zoned in recent years to preserve its one- and two-family character, though some larger residential and senior-care developments have advanced amid local discussion. Housing values in the area are substantially above the state benchmark, and rents are proportionally elevated. The neighborhood is walkable for daily needs, particularly along Bell Boulevard and its surrounding commercial nodes, though many residents note it quiets down considerably after dark.

The school is one of several capacity-building efforts underway in northeast Queens to address long-standing enrollment pressure. A new elementary school opened in Bayside not long ago, and middle school additions are planned. This context means families here may see some shifting enrollment dynamics and new construction in the immediate area.

Data on special education enrollment, English learner services, and attendance metrics were not available. The school's participation gap in eighth-grade testing warrants a direct conversation with administrators about whether that reflects scheduling, special populations, or other factors. Beyond that, a parent considering JHS 74 is looking at a middle school with solid, above-average proficiency across core subjects, a diverse, majority-Asian peer environment, and situated in a stable, residential neighborhood with real amenities and transit access to the rest of the city.

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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	133	100.0%
Science	130	99.0%
Social Studies	123	100.0%

Math

Grade 684%

School 84% · District 76% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 788%

School 88% · District 82% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 878%

School 78% · District 73% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 50 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 680%

School 80% · District 76% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 784%

School 84% · District 77% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 880%

School 80% · District 79% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Science

Grade 878%

School 78% · District 61% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 54 pts above county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #26, 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-income76%Higher-income85%9 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income80%Higher-income89%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income74%Higher-income87%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income84%Higher-income86%2 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income84%Higher-income93%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income79%Higher-income78%1 pp gap