Original Research by School Decision on Cambria Heights Academy
Cambria Heights Academy is a public high school serving grades nine through twelve in Hollis, a residential neighborhood in southeastern Queens. It sits within New York City Geographic District 29, the district that covers the northeastern corner of Queens. The school occupies a neighborhood campus embedded among the single-family homes and tree-lined streets that define this part of the borough, with the larger Jamaica transit and commercial hub nearby.
The student body is relatively small for a New York City high school. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this squarely among schools serving families with limited economic resources. The racial and ethnic makeup is predominantly Black, with a meaningful Hispanic population and smaller shares of Asian and other students. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available in the records reviewed.
On the academic measurement side, state assessment results were not available for this school, and placement relative to other districts in Queens County could not be calculated as a result. Graduation rate data was similarly absent. A parent who wants to understand how students here perform on state tests or how many complete high school on a four-year timeline should ask the school directly; this is the most important gap in what the data currently shows.
Program details were not included in the records reviewed, so it is not possible to say from this data what AP courses, career pathways, dual-enrollment options, or extracurricular offerings the school carries. That is a meaningful unknown for families comparing high school options.
The neighborhood itself offers a particular kind of outer-borough New York setting. Hollis developed as one of Queens' early railroad suburbs and became a center of Black middle-class homeownership. It is publicly reported as commuter-friendly and walkable along its main commercial corridors, Jamaica Avenue, Hillside Avenue, and Hollis Avenue, while the residential blocks are quieter. The Long Island Rail Road's Hollis station provides direct service to Midtown Manhattan, and bus lines connect to the Jamaica hub where subway service is accessible. The local branch of the Queens Public Library closed in fall 2024 for a multi-year renovation expected to reopen in fall 2026 with expanded spaces including a teen area. Parks within walking range include Hollis Playground and Haggerty Park, with handball courts, basketball courts, and a ballfield.
The housing market in this zip code sits well above both the New York State median and the national median, reflecting Queens' broader real estate dynamics. Year-over-year appreciation has continued at a moderate pace. Rental data was not available for this specific zip.
At the district level, two curriculum changes are worth knowing. Under NYC Solves, high schools across the district are now required to use a single standardized Algebra 1 curriculum, replacing the prior approach in which individual schools chose their own math materials. That shift reshapes how math is taught here and is publicly reported as a lasting change rather than a transitional one. The NYC Reads literacy overhaul primarily affects the district's elementary schools, though families with younger children moving through the system will encounter it before reaching this school.
Chronic absenteeism data was not available. Discipline data and staffing information were also absent from the records reviewed. Families with specific questions about school culture, supports for students with disabilities, or the range of courses offered would need to go directly to the school to fill those gaps.
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