The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in English language arts. The lowest is 31% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Community Voices Middle School
Community Voices Middle School is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight in Springfield Gardens, a predominantly residential neighborhood in southeastern Queens. The school enrolls a small student body of roughly a few hundred students, drawn almost entirely from the immediate neighborhood. The vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student population is predominantly Black with a substantial Hispanic minority; Asian, white, and multiracial students are present in very small numbers.
The school's state test results show a pattern of academic difficulty that warrants careful attention. In mathematics, sixth-grade proficiency is quite low. Seventh-grade math proficiency is below that, though still modest. Eighth-grade math proficiency improves notably and reaches a level that approaches half of tested students. In English language arts, sixth-grade proficiency sits at a similar modest level to math, seventh-grade performance rises to a mid-range, and eighth-grade ELA performance reaches roughly six in ten tested students. In science, eighth-grade proficiency is measured at a lower-to-middle range. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among districts in Queens County.
The pattern suggests that students begin at a significant academic disadvantage in sixth grade, with the gap most acute in mathematics. By eighth grade, ELA performance has risen substantially, and math performance has improved, though both remain below what a parent might see at higher-performing middle schools. A parent should understand that this school is working with students who arrive with considerable unmet foundational needs, and the school's value lies partly in how it is closing that gap from sixth to eighth grade, especially in literacy. Someone considering this school should speak directly with staff about the specific supports provided in sixth-grade math and about the teaching methods and additional resources available for students entering below level.
Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available, so the extent of specialized instruction is not clear from the information at hand.
The school sits in a neighborhood that is fundamentally stable, family-oriented, and suburban in character. Springfield Gardens is a mid-density residential area of single- and two-family homes, tree-lined streets, yards, and driveways, with commercial corridors concentrated on a few major streets rather than spread throughout. The demographic makeup is predominantly Black and Caribbean-American. Housing values have risen modestly in recent years as developer interest has grown, but prices remain relatively affordable by Queens standards; rental housing is also in the moderate range for the city. The neighborhood has no direct subway service but is served by bus routes and nearby LIRR access, and residents benefit from multiple parks, including Springfield Park with walking trails and a pond. Employment is heavily influenced by proximity to JFK International Airport, with logistics, air-cargo, warehousing, and transportation work anchoring the local economy, alongside small retail and service businesses.
Growth in Springfield Gardens is gradual and focused on new single- and two-family construction. A pending mixed-use development proposal signals denser future growth, and the neighborhood's low-density character is protected by zoning, though the tension between preservation and development is present. For a school-age family, this is a working- and middle-class neighborhood with space and stability, not a high-density urban environment, and it attracts families seeking square footage and a quieter setting than central Queens offers.
Community Voices Middle School is one of many public middle schools in New York City's District 29. The district is currently implementing two major curriculum initiatives: NYC Reads, a citywide literacy mandate that standardizes reading instruction in elementary schools around approved phonics-based curriculums, and NYC Solves, a math overhaul that has begun standardizing middle and high school mathematics instruction with full middle-school rollout expected by 2027. These changes mean that what students learn and how they are assessed are increasingly set at the city level rather than individually by each school, a shift that affects how parents should evaluate school choice and hold schools accountable.
The school website was not provided, so information about specific programs, electives, clubs, or staff was not available. A parent considering this school should visit in person, review the school's current offerings, and discuss sixth-grade math support in depth.
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