J.H.S. 008 Richard S. Grossley

Test scores here run well below the District 28 average (63% ELA, 63% math) — 46% ELA proficiency and 44% math proficiency put J.H.S. 008 solidly in catch-up territory rather than ahead. But the trajectory is the story: ELA proficiency has roughly quadrupled since 2016 (11% to 46%), and math has climbed from single digits (7%) to the mid-40s. There's been some recent softening in ELA (53% in 2023 to 46% in 2025), while math has held steadier. One bright spot: 7th graders hit 57% math proficiency, beating the district average for their grade band. The overall quality score of 1.81/4 sits below the district's 2.51, so families should expect remediation-level academics paired with visible year-over-year gains.

The day-to-day feel here is mixed. Parents give the principal and teachers very high marks on trust (96% and 95%) — higher than the district average — but teacher-reported instruction quality sits at 86%, below the district's 92%. Attendance is just under the district average at 90%, and chronic absenteeism runs at 60.7%, meaning roughly two-thirds of students miss significant school each year. Discipline is on a clear downward trend: suspensions dropped from 10 in 2022-23 to just 3 in 2023-24, and the school uses restorative circles and mindfulness as part of its climate work. The low survey response rate (38% of families, only 24 teachers) means these numbers should be read with a small-sample asterisk.

J.H.S. 008 serves a genuinely diverse middle-school population: 41% Black, 29% Hispanic, 19% Asian, and a notably high 10% Native American — a distribution that reflects South Jamaica's mix. Three-quarters of students qualify as economically needy (economic need index 75%), and 21% have IEPs. The surrounding neighborhood's median household income of about $74K is close to the city median, with a 13% poverty rate and homeownership just under half — a community of renters and owners, working families alongside households under real pressure.

South Jamaica is a family-rooted Queens neighborhood where roughly one in five households includes children, and just under half of residents own their homes. The median home value sits in the high-$500Ks, and a fifth of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher — a solidly working- and middle-class community with a mix of long-time homeowners and renters. Families here navigate the area mostly by bus and car rather than subway.

The school is an 18-minute walk from the Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer station (E, J, Z lines), which means most families will drive, get dropped off, or take a connecting bus rather than rely on the subway alone.