The top reported proficiency rate is 76% in Social studies. The lowest is 21% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lighthouse Elementary School
Lighthouse Elementary School sits on Beach 35th Street in Far Rockaway, the coastal, somewhat isolated neighborhood at the eastern end of the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and is part of New York City Geographic District 27. Its enrollment is small, and the student body is made up almost entirely of children who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the working-class economic character of the surrounding community. Black and Hispanic students together make up the large majority of the school's enrollment, with white and Asian students present in small numbers.
The academic picture, as measured by the New York State Testing Program, shows that proficiency rates in math, ELA, and science sit in a low range across tested grades. In third and fourth grade math, roughly a quarter to a third of students scored at the proficient-or-above threshold. ELA results follow a similar pattern in the lower grades, though fifth-grade ELA was meaningfully higher than the other tested years, which is worth noting even if it reflects a small tested group. Science proficiency in fifth grade tracked closer to the lower math results. When set against other schools with available proficiency data relative to districts in Queens County, Lighthouse lands in the bottom quartile on an overall proficiency index. These are real gaps that a parent would want to discuss directly with the school, particularly around what academic supports are in place and how the school is tracking individual student progress over time.
What the data does not show is any trend line, because multi-year comparable data was not available, so it is not possible to say from this source whether results are improving, holding, or declining. Chronic absenteeism and graduation rate data are not applicable here: graduation rates apply only to high schools, and absenteeism figures were not reported in the available data.
Two citywide curriculum shifts are now in effect at this school. Under the NYC Reads mandate, publicly reported to have expanded across all districts, Lighthouse and every other District 27 elementary school is now required to use a phonics-based, science-of-reading curriculum for kindergarten through fifth grade, ending the prior approach in which each principal chose their own reading materials. The district maintains its own page on the rollout. Separately, NYC Solves introduced a standardized math curriculum push beginning in the most recent school year, focused on conceptual understanding, though the elementary-grade implications are less direct than for middle and high school. For parents evaluating how their children will be taught to read, these changes represent a concrete and lasting shift worth asking about at the school level.
Far Rockaway itself is a dense, working-class coastal neighborhood, geographically apart from the rest of Queens by Jamaica Bay and accessible by subway, bridge, or causeway. The A train terminates nearby, the LIRR stops in the neighborhood, and bus service converges around the Mott Avenue hub, making transit access a genuine asset. The beach, boardwalk, and bay-side parks give the community outdoor anchors that are unusual for a New York City neighborhood. St. John's Episcopal Hospital is the major local employer. The neighborhood is in an active affordable-housing redevelopment cycle, with multiple large projects either recently completed or under construction, which will shape the community's density and composition over the coming years.
Housing in the zip code covering this area runs well above the state median and considerably above the national median, reflecting Queens' broader market even in a historically disinvested community. Rents are also elevated. Those figures have been rising year over year, which matters for families weighing whether to rent or buy near the school.
Program details, staffing ratios, and data on students with IEPs or English language learner services were not available in the data provided, so those are gaps a parent would want to fill by contacting the school directly.
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