Epic High School - South

Academic data for Epic South is limited in this snapshot, but the program picture is genuinely strong: a program richness score of 90/100, AP coursework on offer, dedicated ELL support, humanities and world languages tracks. Class size sits at 23.4, which is right at the district average — not unusually small, but not crowded either. With 19% of students classified IEP and meaningful ELL services, this looks like a school that has invested in supports rather than just honors tracks.

The day-to-day feel here is shaped by a striking split: families love this school (95% parent satisfaction, 96% trust in the principal), but teachers are more guarded — teacher-principal trust sits at 65%, well below the 82% instruction quality rating and a noticeable gap from the parent side. That mismatch doesn't necessarily mean trouble, but it's the kind of thing worth asking about on a tour. The good news on the discipline side is real: suspensions have dropped every year on record, from 7 to 6 to just 3, and the current 1% suspension rate is right around where the district sits.

Epic South's student body looks like a true cross-section of Queens: about a third Hispanic, just over a quarter Asian, just over a quarter Black, with smaller shares of White, Native American, and multiracial students. The 82% diversity index is high, meaning no single group dominates the building. The 69.6 economic need index tells you a majority of students come from households that qualify for support — this is not a school that skews affluent, even though the neighborhood around it leans that way.

South Ozone Park is a working- and middle-class neighborhood anchored by homeownership: 69% of households own their homes, with a median value north of $650,000, and median household income around $98,000. The poverty rate is relatively low at about 10%, and only one in five households has kids under 18 — so this is a neighborhood of established families and longer-tenured residents more than young renters. About one in five adults has a bachelor's degree, which gives you a sense of the parent base you'll find at school events.

Getting here without a car takes some planning — the nearest subway is Ozone Park–Lefferts Blvd on the A line, and it's about an 18-minute walk from the school. Most families will drive, bike, or rely on the school bus.