Francis Lewis High School

Francis Lewis sits in District 26, one of New York's strongest K-8 districts where peer elementary schools score 90-99/100 and district proficiency averages hover near 76% ELA and 80% math, setting a high academic floor for incoming students. The school offers AP courses, a Science Research Institute, Engineering & Robotics, and a University Scholars program — all four so selective that offer rates fall between 1.6% and 2.6%. With 14 world languages including Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Latin, plus a 70/100 program richness score, the academic menu is broad for a screened school of this size.

Parent satisfaction (93%) and parent-teacher trust (94%) are both solid and slightly above district averages, while teacher-reported instruction quality reaches 93% — also above the 89.9% district norm. The standout climate signal is zero suspensions in a school of 4,215 students, an exceptionally rare figure that points to a calm, well-managed environment. However, teacher-principal trust sits at 77%, meaningfully below the parent-principal trust score of 91%, suggesting teachers experience leadership differently than families do — worth watching. The 6% family survey response rate also means those satisfaction numbers reflect a self-selected group of engaged parents rather than the full community.

The student body is 60% Asian, 20% Hispanic, 14% White, 4% Black, and 1% multi-racial or Native American, with a 57.4 economic need index and 14% of students with IEPs — reflecting Auburndale's profile as a stable, family-dense neighborhood where most households own their homes and few live in poverty. The diversity index of 61% reflects real variety, though the Asian majority is pronounced and the school draws from a wider geographic catchment than its immediate surroundings due to screened admissions. Asian and White enrollment here is higher than the citywide average, and the school's economic mix skews more middle-class than NYC high schools overall.

Auburndale is a residential, family-oriented pocket of northeastern Queens with a median household income around $87,000, a low 8.7% poverty rate, and a 67.3% homeownership rate — well above the city norm. About a fifth of households include children, and roughly 38% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, marking this as an educated, settled community where families tend to put down roots. The $914,592 median home value reflects the area's desirability and stability. There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk, which shapes how families here move through the city — bus, car, and school bus do the work the subway does elsewhere.

With no subway stations within a 20-minute walk, most students rely on MTA buses, school buses, or family drop-offs to get to school — typical for outer-borough Queens.