The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in English language arts. The lowest is 6% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Young Women's Leadership School-queens
Young Women's Leadership School-Queens is a small public middle and high school in Jamaica that serves girls across grades six through twelve. The school enrolls a student body that is about two-fifths Asian, roughly a third Black, and about a fifth Hispanic, reflecting the wider Queens neighborhood. A substantial share of the school's families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
On state testing in sixth through eighth grades, the school's performance sits below the midpoint among county districts. Sixth graders showed proficiency in ELA at a rate that slightly exceeds math, and about half or fewer in either subject reached proficiency. Seventh-grade results were similar, with math and ELA proficiency both in the low-to-mid range. Eighth-grade ELA proficiency climbed to a notably stronger level, suggesting the school may be building momentum by the time students reach high school. The eighth-grade math and science test results, however, involve a sharp participation drop and show proficiency rates that are minimal. This pattern of low participation in the upper grades warrants a conversation with the school to understand whether these students are taking different assessments, pursuing alternative pathways, or facing other barriers to the standard state test.
The school's mission as a single-sex girls' school shapes its peer environment and likely its curriculum priorities, though the data did not detail program specifics. At this size and in this grade span, the school occupies a distinctive niche in the district. Because state testing data for high school grades was not reported, the academic trajectory beyond grade eight and the school's graduation outcomes remain unknown; a parent would want to ask the school directly about these measures and about how the transition to high school unfolds.
Jamaica itself is a dense, mixed-use neighborhood centered on a major transit hub at Jamaica Station, where the LIRR, E, J, and Z subway lines converge alongside the AirTrain to JFK. The downtown core is walkable but congested, with heavy foot traffic, buses, and commuter vans; street conditions including sidewalks and crossings would benefit from repair. The neighborhood blends government buildings and shopping corridors with new residential towers and quieter residential blocks. Housing values in the area are moderate to above-state-median. The neighborhood has seen ongoing residential development, with new mixed-income housing projects filling in and a recent rezoning designed to unlock further growth.
District 28, the school's parent district, recently rolled out a mandatory reading curriculum overhaul called NYC Reads across all elementary schools, grounded in structured literacy instruction; this mandate is extending to middle schools by fall 2027. The district also benefits from expanded Gifted & Talented options following the city's 2022 expansion plan, which added a third-grade entry point and universal screening to all districts. Queens High School for the Sciences, a selective top-tier high school serving the district, is relocating to a new, larger building within Jamaica in the 2026-27 school year.
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