Growing up Green Charter School Ii, Jamaica NY

Original Research by School Decision on Growing up Green Charter School Ii

Growing Up Green Charter School II is a K-8 charter school in Jamaica, Queens, serving students from kindergarten through eighth grade. The school operates as part of a unified network that includes a parallel school in Long Island City; both locations came under common management when the original Growing Up Green Charter School merged into this entity in 2022. For families, this means a consolidated K-8 pathway within a network that has now operated in both neighborhoods.

The school's academic performance shows a profile that demands a clear-eyed read. In the lower elementary grades, the school achieves solid proficiency in math and English language arts, with third and fourth graders reaching above-average results in both subjects. The performance narrative shifts markedly in the upper grades. Beginning in fifth grade, math proficiency drops sharply to low levels and remains depressed through eighth grade. English language arts holds up better across grades five through eight, though sixth and seventh grade results soften considerably. In fifth-grade science, proficiency is modest. Eighth-grade science testing did not yield reported results, which is unusual; parents may want to look into this further with the school to understand the circumstances.

Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile of its county's school district universe. This is a material weakness. The school's pattern suggests either that students gain ground in the elementary years but struggle with transitions or increased rigor at the middle level, or that demographic shifts in the student population create different academic needs in later grades. A parent considering the school would benefit from asking directly about the mathematics curriculum starting at grade five, the transition supports in place for students moving to middle school, and what interventions the school uses when proficiency dips.

The enrollment is approximately mid-sized for its grade span, with roughly balanced cohorts across the nine grades served. The student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with meaningful representation of Asian students and smaller numbers of American Indian and multiracial students. White students are a very small share. The school does not report free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility rates or special education and English learner data, so the school's socioeconomic composition and support for students with disabilities or language needs are not visible in the available records.

Jamaica itself is a dense, transit-rich neighborhood centered on Jamaica Station, the major hub for the Long Island Rail Road and gateway to multiple subway lines and the AirTrain to JFK. The neighborhood downtown is walkable and commercial, organized around several retail and service corridors, with higher-density residential development expanding nearby. Housing values have appreciated modestly in the past year and are well above state and national medians. Rents are rising slowly but remain elevated. The area is anchored by health care employment (Jamaica Hospital and Queens Hospital Center), higher education (York College), and proximity to airport-related employment. The neighborhood is on a strong residential growth trajectory with multiple large mixed-income developments under construction or recently completed.

One significant note for families: the school's charter term expired at the end of this school year (2024-2025), and a renewal site visit was conducted in early 2025. Charter renewal determines whether the school continues to operate. The outcome of that renewal process is a material stability factor that families should confirm with the school before committing to enrollment.

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Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

2 courses reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Science	82	44.0%
Math	24	71.0%

Math

Grade 370%

School 70% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 466%

School 66% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 518%

School 18% · district not reported

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 42 pts below county median

Grade 620%

School 20% · district not reported

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

Grade 740%

School 40% · district not reported

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

Grade 817%

School 17% · district not reported

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 467%

School 67% · district not reported

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 652%

School 52% · district not reported

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · district not reported

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

Grade 855%

School 55% · district not reported

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Science

Grade 532%

School 32% · district not reported

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

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

This schoolDistrict average, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income53%Higher-income67%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income60%Higher-income86%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income49%Higher-income67%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income65%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income28%Higher-income38%10 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income72%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income75%Higher-income50%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income58%Higher-income86%28 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income17%Higher-income22%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income15%Higher-income40%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income41%Higher-income38%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income18%Higher-income14%3 pp gap