At a Glance
A screened middle school with one of the richest extracurricular menus in Queens, where test scores climb steadily but still trail a high-flying district.
Best suited for
Glen Oaks-area families — particularly Asian-American households already rooted in the community — who value a screened admissions environment, an unusually rich extracurricular life, and steady academic improvement over raw top-of-district test scores.
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
- One of the broadest extracurricular menus in the borough (100/100 program richness), spanning debate, robotics, peer mediation, journalism, jazz band, film-making, yoga, chess, and more
- A steady, multi-year climb in ELA and math scores since 2016 — real academic momentum that puts the school on a clear upward trajectory
- Screened admissions that create a more academically focused peer group and a deliberate feeder pattern for top District 26 elementary schools
- Strong parent leadership trust (95%) and parent-teacher trust (92%) signal a genuine family-school partnership, not just polite survey answers
- An Asian-American majority (64%) that mirrors and serves the surrounding Glen Oaks community, with cultural familiarity baked into the school
Things to consider
- Math proficiency (70.5%) trails the district average (80.2%) by nearly ten points — families who prioritize top math results should ask probing questions about algebra pacing and instruction
- Chronic absenteeism at 78.7% is unusually high and worth understanding directly during a school visit — that's far above the norm and signals real attendance friction
- Suspension count has tripled over three years (1 → 3 → 7) — ask the principal what's driving the trend and how the school is responding
- No subway access within walking distance makes this a car- or bus-dependent commute, which can be a real barrier for families without flexibility
- PTA fundraising per student ($32) is well below the district average ($96), which may affect enrichment budgets and what parents are asked to contribute directly
- Teacher-rated instruction quality (84%) sits below the district average (89.9%) — worth a direct question about classroom rigor and curriculum consistency
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 26
District 26 is one of New York City's top-performing districts, with an average overall score of 3.12/4 and math proficiency above 80%. Irwin Altman sits below those averages on nearly every measure, making it a solid-but-not-leading option in a district full of strong schools. Parents who live in the zone and want a screened middle school experience will find it here, but those prioritizing top-of-district test scores should compare carefully.
Academics
ELA proficiency at 71.6% sits four points below the district average of 75.8%, and math at 70.5% trails the district's 80.2% by nearly ten points — a meaningful gap in a district where 80%+ math proficiency is the norm. The trajectory, however, is unambiguously upward: ELA jumped from 57% in 2016 and math from 54.6%, with math actually outpacing ELA in 2024 (74.3%). Science proficiency at 41.9% is the weakest area and worth asking about. Grade 8 outperforms grade 6, suggesting students gain ground as they move through the school.
Culture
Day-to-day culture feels collaborative — 92% of parents trust the teachers and 95% trust the principal, strong numbers that suggest families feel heard and a real home-school partnership. But chronic absenteeism at 78.7% is striking: that's nearly four out of five students missing 10% or more of school days, even though the average daily attendance rate of 93.8% looks reasonable on its own. Discipline is a quiet concern — suspensions rose from 1 in 2021-22 to 3 to 7, and the 1% suspension rate is ten times the district average. Teacher-rated instruction quality (84%) also trails the district's 89.9%, worth probing on a tour.
Community
The student body is 64% Asian, 15% Hispanic, 9% Black, and 9% White — a demographic mix that closely mirrors the surrounding suburban neighborhood. The school's economic need index of 46.3 (moderate) suggests a mixed-income population despite the area's relative affluence, and IEP enrollment at 16% indicates a meaningful inclusion program. With 884 students across grades 6–8, this is a mid-to-large middle school by city standards. The screened admissions process selects for students prepared for a more rigorous academic environment, which shapes the peer group in ways that show up in the survey data.
Neighborhood
Glen Oaks-Floral Park-New Hyde Park is a low-density, suburban pocket of eastern Queens where most families own their homes (75%) and median household income reaches $115,393. Just 7.7% of residents live in poverty and half hold a bachelor's degree or higher — a solidly upper-middle-class area with a quieter, more established feel than most of New York City. Only 16% of households have children under 18, reflecting the area's older skew. The lack of subway access reinforces the car-dependent, suburban character of daily life here.
There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of the school — families will need a car, school bus, or other arrangements to get to school.
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) · 268 families responded (34% rate)
Programs & Activities
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
PTA Fundraising
Source: DOE Local Law 171 disclosure
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. Irwin Altman Middle School 172 admits through 2 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Irwin Altman Middle School 172Zoned155 seats
- Irwin Altman Middle School 172 Gifted & Talented ProgramScreened87 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.
- 2Screened programs rank 4th-grade course grades, so last year's report card is the one that counts.
- 3Zoned programs give priority to students who live in the zone — a priority, not a guaranteed seat.
- 4Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Irwin Altman Middle School 172 a good school?
- On Motley, Irwin Altman Middle School 172 earns an overall rating of 71/100 — 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 26 average.
- What grades does Irwin Altman Middle School 172 serve?
- Irwin Altman Middle School 172 serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into Irwin Altman Middle School 172?
- Irwin Altman Middle School 172 is a screened school — it admits by application, ranking applicants on their course grades (4th grade for middle school, the 7th-grade core-course average for high school); a few schools add an assessment, writing sample, or interview.
- Is Irwin Altman Middle School 172 public, charter, or private?
- Irwin Altman Middle School 172 is a public school in NYC Community School District 26.
- What neighborhood is Irwin Altman Middle School 172 in?
- Irwin Altman Middle School 172 is in Glen Oaks-Floral Park-New Hyde Park, Queens.