I.S. 126 (ALC)

Class sizes of 23.6 here sit exactly at the District 30 average, suggesting typical staffing for the area. District 30 itself runs roughly 61% ELA proficiency and 62% Math proficiency on average, with several peer schools scoring in the 80s and 90s out of 100. The 6-12 grade span gives students continuity they wouldn't get from a typical 6-8 middle school feeding into a separate high school — the same teachers, routines, and supports can follow a student for seven years.

District 30 generally posts strong culture indicators, with teacher-reported safety around 95% and parent satisfaction near 93%, plus a low average suspension rate of about 0.3%. The 6-12 age mix creates a specific dynamic — older students can serve as informal mentors to sixth-graders, but it also requires careful hallway and cafeteria separation to keep the age groups distinct. Day-to-day, families should expect a busier, more age-diverse building than a traditional middle school.

The school sits in a neighborhood where about 13% of households include children and 45% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — a fairly educated, family-mixed profile. Median household income is around $83,000, sitting squarely in the city's middle. The area draws both long-time renters and newer arrivals drawn by waterfront development.

Old Astoria-Hallets Point is a middle-income, largely renter stretch of the Queens waterfront where homeownership sits at just 20% and median home values reach about $782,000. Median household income runs around $83,167 with a 21% poverty rate showing real economic diversity under the surface. Nearly half of adults hold a bachelor's degree, giving the area a well-educated feel despite the modest homeownership rate.

Families can reach the school on foot from three N/W stations: Broadway is about an 8-minute walk, 30 Avenue roughly 10 minutes, and 36 Avenue around 13 minutes — all on the same Astoria line.