The top reported proficiency rate is 80% in English language arts. The lowest is 57% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Queens Explorers Elementary School
Queens Explorers Elementary School sits on 101st Street in Ozone Park, a dense, historically layered Queens neighborhood where prewar rowhouses and semi-detached homes line quiet residential blocks while Liberty Avenue, Cross Bay Boulevard, and the surrounding commercial corridors carry the daily retail and cultural life of a genuinely diverse community. The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and is part of New York City Geographic District 27.
The peer environment reflects the neighborhood closely. The student body is majority Hispanic and includes a substantial Asian population, with smaller shares of white, Black, and other students. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing this in the high-need range by New York City and national standards. Data on English learner rates and students with IEPs were not available in the records reviewed, so parents should ask the school directly about those supports.
On academic performance, Queens Explorers posts results that stand out clearly within its context. The school's overall proficiency index places it at the top of the comparison set of schools among Queens County districts, which is a meaningful position given how many schools that set includes. Breaking it down by grade and subject: third-grade math and ELA both show very high proficiency, with the large majority of tested students reaching the proficient threshold on the New York State assessments. Fifth grade follows with strong results in both subjects. Fourth grade shows a more moderate picture in math and ELA, with proficiency rates that, while above average, represent a step down from the third- and fifth-grade results. A parent wondering whether to look further into what happens in the fourth-grade year would be reasonable to do so. Fifth-grade science results are more modest, with roughly half of tested students reaching proficiency; that is an area worth discussing with the school. Trend data across years was not available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, stability, or a recent shift.
Queens Explorers is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and enrollment is in a range consistent with a mid-sized New York City elementary. No program-specific offerings were listed in the data available, so enrichment, after-school, or specialty programs are worth asking about directly.
Two district-level changes are worth knowing. Under the citywide NYC Reads mandate, all elementary schools in District 27 now teach reading through a phonics-based, science-of-reading curriculum, replacing the prior arrangement where principals chose their own materials. The district has its own page describing the rollout. A parallel NYC Solves mandate has standardized math curriculum at the middle and high school level, so families planning ahead for their children's later years in the district will encounter that shift. District 27 has also seen a meaningful decline in total enrollment over recent years, with documented excess seat capacity across the district; this has implications for school co-locations and re-sitings, and families should stay attentive to any announcements affecting building use.
The housing market in Ozone Park runs well above the New York State median and substantially above national figures, with home values continuing to appreciate, based on the most recent available data. The neighborhood is transit-connected, with A-train service along the Liberty Avenue elevated line at multiple stations and a dense network of bus routes, making the school accessible without a car. Ozone Park itself is largely built out, with city rezoning efforts aimed at preserving its low-density residential character, though the Resorts World site in adjacent South Ozone Park is the subject of a large proposed expansion that could bring workforce housing and entertainment development to the area. A proposed reactivation of the former Rockaway Beach Branch rail line, known as QueensLink, would add transit access through the neighborhood if it advances.
For a family weighing this school, the academic profile is genuinely strong for an urban public elementary serving a high-need population, and the third-grade results in particular are worth noting. The fourth-grade dip and fifth-grade science results are points to follow up on with the school rather than reasons for alarm, but they are real features of the current picture.
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