The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in Math. The lowest is 51% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Elm Community Charter School
Elm Community Charter School sits on 51st Avenue in Elmhurst, one of the most densely populated and ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Queens. The surrounding streets are busy with subway lines, storefronts serving immigrant communities from across Latin America and Asia, and ongoing construction as new mixed-use towers reshape the Queens Boulevard corridor. The school's zip code carries home values roughly in line with the New York State median, with rents that have been climbing meaningfully year over year, reflecting the broader pressure on housing across the borough.
The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade and is a public charter authorized by the SUNY Charter Schools Institute, which granted it a full five-year renewal in April 2023. That authorization matters to families picking an elementary school: it signals institutional stability through the renewal term rather than uncertainty about continued operation. The school also moved into a purpose-built five-floor facility in 2022, publicly reported to include dedicated gym and cafeteria space and capacity to grow well beyond its current enrollment. Both developments matter to a parent thinking about the full arc of a child's elementary years.
Looking ahead, Elm is expanding. Starting in fall 2026, the school will begin adding a sixth grade, then seventh, then eighth, eventually becoming a K-8 program. That shift, publicly reported as a response to family demand, means a child entering kindergarten today could conceivably stay through middle school without a transition. Parents considering this school as a long-term placement should factor that in.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with meaningful Asian and smaller Black and white populations as well. Free and reduced-price lunch data, IEP rates, and English learner rates were not available in the data provided, which makes it harder to characterize the economic profile or the depth of support services for students with disabilities or English language needs. A parent with specific questions on those points would want to ask the school directly.
Academic results from the most recent New York State assessments are genuinely strong at the lower grades and softer as students reach the upper grades. Third graders tested at a high proficiency rate in math, among the stronger results you would see at a Queens elementary school, and their ELA results were also solid. Fourth grade proficiency in both subjects remains above the midpoint but is meaningfully lower than third grade. Fifth grade math and ELA results are lower still, and fifth grade science lands below half of students at the proficiency threshold. Whether this gradient reflects curriculum pacing, cohort differences, or something instructional is not something the available data can resolve, and a parent may want to raise this trajectory with the school.
Placed against other districts in Queens County using that comparison set, Elm's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades sits in the top quartile. That is a genuine strength relative to neighbors. Chronic absenteeism and graduation rate comparisons do not apply here: this is an elementary school, and graduation data is simply not relevant to its grade band.
Multi-year trend data was not available, so there is no way from this data to say whether results are improving, holding, or declining over time.
The neighborhood itself is one of the most walkable in New York City, with M, R, E, F, and 7 train service nearby and bus routes layered on top. The school sits near the Queens Public Library at Elmhurst, Elmhurst Park, and the dense commercial life of Broadway and Queens Boulevard. For a family already rooted in Elmhurst, the location is convenient. For a family considering relocating specifically to enroll, they would be entering a neighborhood in active transformation, with rezoning and construction under way and rents rising at a rate worth tracking.
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