Academy for New Americans, Astoria NY

Original Research by School Decision on Academy for New Americans

Academy for New Americans serves students in grades six through eight in Astoria, Queens. It is a small middle school of fewer than one hundred students, with an enrollment that is heavily Hispanic and substantially economically disadvantaged. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits within the dense residential and commercial fabric of northwestern Queens rather than on a separate campus, embedded in the mixed-character neighborhood that includes significant Greek and Middle Eastern communities alongside newer residents.

The school's academic performance presents a mixed picture. In math, proficiency rates across the three grades hover in the low to mid range. In eighth-grade science, the school achieves above-median performance, with roughly half of tested students reaching proficiency. English language arts results are notably weaker. Sixth grade returned no ELA test results; seventh grade showed zero students proficient despite a very low participation rate; and eighth grade saw fewer than one in five students meet proficiency. A parent should want to look into these ELA results further with the school, as they raise questions about either the student population taking the test or the school's reading instruction and support. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among districts in Queens County.

The low ELA participation rates are striking and warrant direct conversation with the school. Academy for New Americans serves a population with substantial language-learner needs based on the school's name and student demographics, yet the data submitted to the state does not include enrollment counts or rates for English learners, so the relationship between ELA participation and the school's student composition is not clear from the available information. A parent considering this school should ask directly about how the school structures ELA testing and support for students who are newer to English, and what reading curriculum and interventions the school uses, particularly in light of the district-wide shift to phonics-based reading instruction under the city's NYC Reads initiative.

The school's very small enrollment means that individual student performance swings can produce large percentage shifts from year to year. Enrollment is stable and deliberately sized for this grade band. The diverse peer group reflects the neighborhood's international character. Astoria itself is a walkable, transit-connected area with commercial corridors and parks, and the school sits within easy reach of subway lines, making access straightforward for neighborhood families. Housing in the zip code is in the moderate-to-upper range, and the neighborhood is experiencing steady development and gentrification, with large waterfront projects bringing new apartments and public amenities to adjacent areas.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 59% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 64% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 47% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 62% · ▼ 62 pts below district

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 56 pts below county median

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 61% · ▼ 61 pts below district

▼ 47 pts below state median · ▼ 57 pts below county median

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 63% · ▼ 45 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 41 pts below county median

Science

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 38% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 830%

School 30% · district not reported

▼ 48 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT #30, 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.