Original Research by School Decision on Epic High School - North
EPIC High School - North serves students in grades nine through twelve in South Richmond Hill, a densely settled neighborhood in Queens whose residential blocks are predominantly medium-to-large single-family homes and small apartment buildings. The area is widely known as "Little Guyana" for its large Indo-Caribbean population, particularly Indo-Guyanese and Sikh communities. Liberty Avenue forms the commercial spine, lined with roti shops, sari boutiques, mandirs, mosques and bakeries. The neighborhood's civic life centers on linear corridors rather than a formal downtown, with the elevated A train running along Liberty Avenue and serving the area's principal transit function. Parks include Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto Park, used for cricket as well as baseball and soccer, and Forest Park to the north.
The school serves a population that is roughly half Hispanic and roughly a quarter Asian, with smaller shares of Black, American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and white students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The total enrollment is small, distributed across four grade levels. Data on the numbers of students with disabilities or identified as English learners was not provided.
State testing data and graduation rates were not available for this school. This absence reflects the school's data-reporting status or the nature of what it measures; readers interested in academic performance should ask the school directly about proficiency rates, assessment results and graduation outcomes. Without this information, a prospective family cannot assess how students progress academically or how many complete high school successfully.
The school operates as a regular public school within New York City Geographic District 27. District 27 serves a broad geographic area and has experienced a decline in total enrollment over the past several years, with substantial excess capacity in K-8 grades and some under-utilized buildings. This persistent under-enrollment shapes the district's approach to school utilization and facility decisions.
At the district level, two lasting curriculum changes now apply to all schools, including EPIC High School - North. NYC Solves, launched in the 2024-25 school year, requires all high school math classrooms to adopt Illustrative Mathematics, a curriculum that emphasizes conceptual understanding of math over rote procedure. This replaces an earlier environment in which individual schools created their own approaches. Additionally, NYC Reads, a phonics-based reading curriculum mandate, now shapes literacy instruction across the district, though it applies primarily to elementary grades. For families evaluating this high school, the standardized math curriculum is the parent-relevant district change that directly affects instruction.
Housing in the school's area is valued above state benchmarks and has appreciated modestly year-over-year. The neighborhood supports a large number of small businesses rather than a single dominant employer, with economic anchors nearby including John F. Kennedy International Airport and Resorts World Casino. The area has undergone substantial demographic and commercial change, particularly from the 1970s onward as Indo-Caribbean immigrants bought homes and opened businesses. Recent and ongoing zoning efforts have sought to balance immigrant housing demand with efforts to preserve the neighborhood's low-rise character.
Because state assessment results, graduation rates and detailed program information were not available in the data provided, a parent should contact the school directly to discuss curriculum breadth, course offerings, AP or dual-credit pathways, and student support services. The school's small enrollment may shape the range of electives and clubs available. For a full picture of what this school offers academically and how its students perform, direct conversation with school leadership would be essential.
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