The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Science. The lowest is 30% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Collaborative Arts Middle School
Collaborative Arts Middle School serves students in grades six through eight in Springfield Gardens, a residential neighborhood in southeastern Queens that borders JFK Airport. The school is a regular public school within New York City Geographic District 29, drawing from a neighborhood that is predominantly African American and Caribbean American, with a strong working and middle-class character rooted in mid-century suburban housing.
The student body reflects its community: a substantial majority of students are Black, with a notable minority of Hispanic and smaller Asian, Native American, and multiracial representation. A large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating significant economic need. The school's total enrollment is modest for an urban middle school, distributed roughly evenly across the three grades.
On state assessments given in the 2024-25 school year, proficiency patterns show a strength in English Language Arts paired with a softer performance in mathematics. In ELA across the three grades, proficiency rates range from about a quarter to half of students scoring at or above proficient levels, with eighth grade showing the strongest performance. Mathematics proficiency is lower, hovering near or below one-third across grades six and seven, though eighth grade edges up to just under one-third proficient. Eighth-grade science proficiency sits just above half of tested students. The school maintains high participation rates on these assessments, above ninety percent in most cases. Among the districts serving Queens County, Collaborative Arts' overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile, indicating that the school's test results run below the median of its county peer districts.
The school's name suggests an arts integration or arts-focused approach to curriculum, though specific program offerings and the depth of arts coursework are not detailed in available data. Parents may want to inquire directly with the school about what arts components are built into the regular middle-school experience and whether there are electives or intensives in visual arts, music, theater, or dance.
The Springfield Gardens neighborhood itself is quiet and tree-lined, with single-family and two-family homes, yards, and driveways that give it a distinctly suburban feel within the city. Commercial activity clusters on a few corridors rather than a dense main street. The area is close to multiple parks, including Springfield Park and Brookville Park, and residents report a family-oriented environment. The housing market has appreciated modestly in recent years; median home values in the area are slightly above the statewide benchmark. The neighborhood does not have direct subway service but is served by bus lines including the Q27, and the LIRR is accessible at nearby stations. Major employment in the area is tied to JFK logistics, transportation, and warehousing, though residents also commute to other parts of the city for work.
District 29 is currently implementing two major curriculum initiatives. NYC Reads, a standardized literacy mandate in all elementary schools, uses one of three science-of-reading-based programs and represents a lasting shift from principal-led curriculum choice. NYC Solves, the math standardization rollout, requires middle schools to adopt a city-approved curriculum, with full middle-school implementation expected by 2027. These changes affect how and what students learn as they progress through the district. The G&T admissions model has also shifted from test-based to teacher-recommendation-based entry, opening accelerated programs more broadly, though this change applies primarily to younger grades and not directly to this middle school.
A parent or family considering this school should understand that it serves a community with substantial economic need and serves students who arrive with varied academic preparation. The ELA performance suggests the school has made gains in reading and literacy, an area of explicit districtwide focus. Mathematics proficiency trails behind ELA, which is a common pattern but one a parent may want to explore further with school staff: what interventions or supports exist for students who are not yet proficient, and what pathways exist for students exceeding expectations. The school's arts identity, if it is genuinely central to the curriculum, may appeal to families seeking a more integrated or creative learning environment, though that would merit a direct conversation with the school to understand how much of the day and how many students it actually touches.
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