At a Glance
A screened Flushing middle school where families deeply trust the staff — with unusually broad programming, even as test scores trail the district.
Best suited for
Families who want a screened middle school with a wide elective catalog and strong family-staff relationships, and who are comfortable with a longer single-line commute.
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
- Parent trust scores reach 98% across both parent-teacher and parent-principal relationships — uncommon for a middle school.
- Program richness score of 100/100, including Specialized High School Test Prep, Algebra I acceleration, Martial Arts, Musical Theater, and Coding.
- Math proficiency has climbed roughly 12 points over nine years, the strongest trajectory on the school's record.
- Majority-Asian student body (57%) with active ELL support, well matched to the multilingual Murray Hill-Broadway Flushing community.
- Screened admissions process, meaning entry is selective and the cohort is academically motivated.
Things to consider
- ELA proficiency trails the district by about 18 points — students who enter behind in reading may need significant support to catch up.
- Suspension rate of 2% is well above the district's 0.25%, even as total suspensions are trending down.
- Chronic absenteeism at 81.8% is high and worth probing, since missing school in middle grades compounds quickly.
- Only one subway line within walking distance (the 7), at about 13 minutes — commute logistics are real for families not in the immediate area.
- Economic need is high (77.7%) and the school doesn't appear to have a robust PTA fundraising base, which can affect enrichment offerings over time.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 25
District 25 is one of Queens' stronger districts, and 189's overall score of 2.21/4 places it below the district's 2.69/4 average — middle-of-the-pack rather than a standout. Peer elementary schools score higher on quality reviews (the top ones at 80-92/100), but 189's strengths are different: parent trust, program breadth, and a clear math-improvement trajectory.
Academics
Math proficiency at 189 has trended up meaningfully over the past decade, climbing from about 52% in 2016 to 63.7% in 2025, narrowing the gap with the district average of 69.6%. ELA has been much flatter — bouncing in a 40–52% band and landing at 46.7% this year, roughly 18 points behind the district's 64.9%. Within the building, seventh graders outperform both sixth and eighth graders on both subjects, with 73.2% math proficiency in grade 7. Science proficiency (41.6%) and the school's overall 2.21/4 score both sit below the district's 2.69/4 average.
Culture
Day-to-day culture at 189 feels supported by unusually high trust: parents give the school 96% satisfaction (above the district's 93.7%), parent-teacher and parent-principal trust both reach 98%, and teacher collegial trust sits at 95%. Teacher-reported instruction quality is 92%, also above the district's 89.6%. Attendance is right at the district average of 94%, but a chronic absenteeism rate of 81.8% is striking — though middle schools citywide tend to run high. Discipline has improved: total suspensions dropped from 17 in 2022-23 to 12 in 2023-24, though the 2% suspension rate is well above the district's 0.25%, worth asking about.
Community
189's 645 students are majority Asian (57%) with a sizable Hispanic contingent (36%), plus small Black, White, and multiracial populations — a mix that mirrors the Flushing-area communities the school draws from. The economic need index of 77.7% means more than three-quarters of students come from low-income households, and 16% have IEPs. The school also runs ELL support, reflecting the multilingual reality of the neighborhood. Despite the economic profile, family survey response was solid at 38%, suggesting engaged caregivers.
Neighborhood
Murray Hill-Broadway Flushing is a family-dense, working- and middle-class neighborhood where about 21% of households have children, the homeownership rate is just under 50%, and roughly one in six residents lives below the poverty line. Median household income is around $69,000 and a little under a third of adults hold a bachelor's degree. The area has a mix of Asian and Hispanic households that lines up with what 189's population looks like inside the building.
The 7 train at Flushing-Main St is the closest subway, about a 13-minute walk from the 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) · 223 families responded (38% rate)
Programs & Activities
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
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. J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard admits through 2 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Daniel Carter Beard (J.H.S. 189)Unscreened211 seats
- Daniel Carter Beard (J.H.S. 189) Chinese Dual Language ProgramScreened25 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.
- 3Unscreened programs fill by random lottery among the families who rank them.
- 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 J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard a good school?
- On Motley, J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard earns an overall rating of 55/100 — 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 25 average.
- What grades does J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard serve?
- J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard?
- J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard 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 J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard public, charter, or private?
- J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard is a public school in NYC Community School District 25.
- What neighborhood is J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard in?
- J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard is in Murray Hill-Broadway Flushing, Queens.