Elm Community Charter School

Elm Community is comfortably above district averages in both subjects — math proficiency of 72.7% is roughly 18 points higher than the District 24 average of 54.8%, and ELA at 68.3% is about 17 points above the 51.1% district average. The school's overall quality score of 2.82 out of 4 sits well above the district's 2.12. Math has been the stronger and steadier subject across the past four years, climbing from 53.8% in 2022 to 72.7% in 2025. ELA has been more uneven — it dipped to 56.8% in 2024 before jumping to 68.3% in 2025, the school's best ELA result on record. Grade 3 is the academic engine: 76.3% proficiency in ELA and 84% in math, both well above district. Performance softens a bit in grades 4 and 5, where ELA and math proficiency hover in the low-to-mid 60s — still above district, but less dominant.

The parent side of this school reads almost glowing: 95% parent satisfaction (above the district's 94%) and 97% trust in both the principal and teachers. Families clearly feel heard. Teachers, however, tell a slightly more complicated story — 92% rate their instruction quality positively (about average for the district), but only 78% report trust in the principal, a meaningful gap that suggests some staff-leadership friction beneath the surface. The standout climate number is 100% teacher-reported safety, which is the kind of result a school puts on a banner. The harder reality is attendance: 92.2% is roughly in line with the district, but a 72.7% chronic absenteeism rate means roughly three out of four students are missing enough school to be flagged. For Black students, that figure climbs to 87%, and that disparity is worth asking the school directly about.

The student body is 75% Hispanic, with smaller Black (9%), Asian (8%), White (6%), and multiracial (2%) populations, and a diversity index of 50%. The economic need index of 72.1 indicates a predominantly low-income enrollment, which is consistent with the school's charter lottery draw from across the district. About 13% of students have IEPs, a slightly lower share than many district schools. At 285 students, this is a genuinely small school — small enough that most families will know each other, but also small enough that specialized programs can be limited.

Elmhurst is one of the most family-dense neighborhoods in Queens, with 23.5% of households including children and a strong immigrant working-class character. Median household income sits around $68,354, with a poverty rate of 11.1% — modest by city standards but real. Only about 26.6% of households own their homes, and the median home value is around $692,633, reflecting that most residents are renters in a tightly built-up area. About 30% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The neighborhood feels like a true melting pot, dense with small businesses, and families here tend to rely on public transit and walking for daily life.

Two M and R line stations are within a 7-minute walk — Elmhurst Av and Grand Av-Newtown — and the 7 train at 82 St-Jackson Hts is about a 14-minute walk, giving families decent subway coverage from a wide swath of central Queens.