At a Glance
A neighborhood middle school with an extraordinary arts catalog, high staff trust, and academic results still catching up to the district
Best suited for
Families who value a wide arts and extracurricular menu, a warm and trusting school culture, and steady academic improvement over time — and who can handle a car-dependent commute in southeastern Queens
Overall Rating
Rating = average of NY State ELA + math proficiency, grades 3–8
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- Program richness score of 100/100 — the catalog includes band, dance, ceramics, photography, yearbook, peer mediation, restorative circles, and a school newspaper
- ELA proficiency has nearly tripled since 2016, suggesting real academic momentum
- Teacher-reported instruction quality at 98% is one of the strongest in the district
- High-trust culture: parent-principal trust at 95% and teacher collegial trust at 92%
- Suspensions have declined meaningfully each year for three consecutive years
Things to consider
- Math proficiency is far below the district average, with eighth grade particularly weak
- Chronic absenteeism at 65.8% is a real concern, and the gender gap (girls absent more than boys) is worth asking about
- Suspension rate of 6% is several times the district average, even though the trend is improving
- No nearby subway means this is essentially a car or bus commute
- The overall score of 1.41/4 places it well below the district average of 2.21 and below most peer schools in District 29
Based on 2025 data
School SummaryDistrict 29
Within District 29, this school sits below average on the overall quality measure and trails most named peers, including the Success Academy charter schools and several local elementary-middle options; it competes less on test scores than on program breadth and school culture
Academics
ELA proficiency at 47.2% sits roughly 10 points below the district average of 57%, and math at 23.2% trails the district by a striking 30 points — math is clearly this school's academic weak spot. The good news is the trajectory: ELA proficiency has nearly tripled since 2016 (from 16.8% to 47.2%), and math has climbed from 7.1% to 23.2% over the same period, with a peak of 34.7% in 2024. The 2024-to-2025 dip in math is worth watching, and the gap between grade 8 math (14.9%) and the younger grades (around 28%) suggests eighth grade may be where momentum stalls.
Culture
The day-to-day feel here leans warm and trusting: 98% of teachers rate instruction quality positively (well above the district average of 88%), and parent-principal trust is at 95%. Families feel reasonably heard, though parent satisfaction (88%) runs slightly below the district's 91%. Two things parents should weigh honestly: chronic absenteeism is very high at 65.8%, with girls (73.7%) absent at notably higher rates than boys (57.7%), and the suspension rate of 6% is several times the district's 0.9% — though the trend is moving the right direction, with suspensions falling from 26 to 17 over three years.
Community
The student body is 82% Black and 13% Hispanic, with a diversity index of 36% — a fairly concentrated demographic profile that doesn't closely mirror the surrounding neighborhood, where the 17.4% share of households with children and homeownership rate of 64.5% suggest a stable, family-oriented block. About 22% of students have IEPs and the school offers ELL support, and 69% of students qualify under the economic need index — a higher level of need than the neighborhood's 10.1% poverty rate might predict.
Neighborhood
Springfield Gardens–Brookville is a stable, middle-class pocket of southeastern Queens: median household income is $109,651, the poverty rate is just 10.1%, and nearly two-thirds of homes are owner-occupied, with a median value of $617,844. Only 17.4% of households have children, which makes Collaborative Arts something of an anchor for local families with middle-schoolers.
There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of the school, so most families arrive by car or school bus rather than transit
Academic Performance
ELA Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State ELA exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Math Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Math exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Science Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Science exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Historical Trends
The dashed line marks 2023, when New York changed its grades 3–8 state tests. Scores before and after it aren’t directly comparable.
2020–2021 data unavailable due to COVID-19
Source: NYC DOE School Quality Reports
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 144 families responded (54% rate)
Programs & Activities
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Middle school (6th grade)
Middle school is one citywide application, made in 5th grade. Collaborative Arts Middle School admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Collaborative Arts Middle SchoolUnscreened111 seats
Middle school application
- Opened
- Wed, Oct 14
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 11
- Offers
- Wed, Apr 7
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the middle school application, in 5th grade.
- 2Unscreened programs fill by random lottery among the families who rank them.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
Open house
Mon, Nov 2, · 4:00 PM · In person
Open house
Tue, Nov 10, · 12:00 PM · In person
Open house
Wed, Nov 18, · 4:00 PM · In person
Open house
Mon, Nov 23, · 9:00 AM · In person
Open house
Tue, Dec 1, · 4:00 PM · In person
Open house
Tue, Dec 8, · 9:00 AM · In person
1 more on the MySchools event calendar.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Collaborative Arts Middle School a good school?
- On Motley, Collaborative Arts Middle School earns an overall rating of 35/100 — the average of the school's New York State ELA and math proficiency, grades 3–8, shown out of 100. Its state test results run below the District 29 average.
- What grades does Collaborative Arts Middle School serve?
- Collaborative Arts Middle School serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into Collaborative Arts Middle School?
- Collaborative Arts Middle School admits by application through a random lottery, with no academic screen.
- Is Collaborative Arts Middle School public, charter, or private?
- Collaborative Arts Middle School is a public school in NYC Community School District 29.
- What neighborhood is Collaborative Arts Middle School in?
- Collaborative Arts Middle School is in Springfield Gardens (South)-Brookville, Queens.