At a Glance
A large screened Queens middle school where math scores have climbed well above the district average and families report unusually high trust
Best suited for
Families in eastern Queens looking for a screened middle school with strong math results, a calm and trusting school culture, and a willingness to handle a car-based commute — particularly families whose children attend regularly and would benefit from the school's deep extracurricular menu.
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
- Screened admissions, which means entry is selective rather than zoned — families apply rather than auto-assign.
- Math proficiency gains of more than 10 points over the past decade, with 7th and 8th grade students especially strong.
- An exceptionally rich extracurricular catalog (a 100/100 program richness score) spanning debate, robotics, specialized high school test prep, film, photography, and National Junior Honor Society.
- Survey trust scores that run unusually high — 96% parent-principal trust and 94% parent-teacher trust suggest a genuinely connected school community.
- A near-zero suspension rate (3 total in 2023-24) indicating a calm, well-managed environment.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 84.7% is striking and worth probing — this is far above what most NYC schools report and warrants a direct conversation with the school.
- No subway within a 20-minute walk means daily commutes will rely on cars or buses, which is a real constraint for families without a vehicle or flexible schedule.
- PTA fundraising of $4 per student is unusually low for the district, which may affect enrichment and family programming budgets.
- With roughly 1,400 students, this is one of the larger middle schools in the area — class sizes match the district average of 25.5, but the building will feel busy.
- Science proficiency at 59.8% lags well behind the school's own ELA and math results and is the clearest academic gap to discuss with staff.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 26
J.H.S. 216 sits slightly above the District 26 average on the overall quality review (3.21 vs. 3.12) and outperforms district averages on ELA, math, and parent satisfaction. It is a solid, screened middle school within a district known for some of the strongest elementary schools in the city, but it is not a singular standout — peers like P.S. 98 Douglaston and P.S. 94 David D. Porter post higher quality review scores.
Academics
Math is the clear strength: 83.4% proficiency puts the school comfortably above the district average of 80.2%, and the trajectory has been steadily upward since 2016 (72.2% → 83.4%), with particularly strong results in 7th and 8th grade (86.3% and 85.8%). ELA proficiency of 77.3% sits modestly above the district average of 75.8%, with a clear long-term gain from 64.8% in 2016. Science proficiency of 59.8% is the relative weak spot — there is no district comparison provided, but it lags well behind the school's own ELA and math numbers and is worth asking about.
Culture
The day-to-day feel here reads as calm and connected: only 3 suspensions in 2023-24 (a suspension rate effectively at 0%), 95% attendance, and survey scores that beat the district on almost every measure — parent satisfaction at 93% (vs. 92.3% district), teacher-reported instruction quality at 93% (vs. 89.9%), and parent-principal trust at 96%. The one number that should give any parent pause is chronic absenteeism at 84.7%, meaning the vast majority of students miss 10% or more of school days. That figure is extraordinarily high and unusual even in a district context — Asian students in particular show 89.7% chronic absenteeism. The school environment feels good for those who show up, but the absenteeism pattern is real and worth asking administrators about directly.
Community
The student body is 69% Asian, 13% Hispanic, 10% White, 5% Black, and 2% multiracial — a profile that closely tracks the surrounding neighborhood, which has a notable Asian-American presence and a median household income around $96,000. About 56% of students qualify for economic need, and 10% have IEPs, with ELL Support and a District G&T track on the menu. PTA fundraising runs about $4 per student — far below the district average of $96 — which suggests parent contributions are modest despite the high survey satisfaction scores.
Neighborhood
Fresh Meadows-Utopia is a middle-class, family-dense pocket of eastern Queens: roughly a quarter of households have children, nearly half of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and homeownership sits near 48% with a median home value around $981,000. The population is solidly middle-to-upper-middle income with a poverty rate under 9%. The neighborhood reads as a classic car-and-bus suburb of NYC rather than a transit-served one.
This school is beyond walking distance of any subway station — families will need a car, school bus, or local bus routes to get here.
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) · 932 families responded (62% 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. J.H.S. 216 George J. Ryan admits through 2 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- J.H.S. 216 George J. Ryan Zoned ProgramZoned369 seats
- M.S. 216 George J. Ryan Gifted & Talented ProgramScreened66 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 J.H.S. 216 George J. Ryan a good school?
- On Motley, J.H.S. 216 George J. Ryan earns an overall rating of 80/100 — 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 in line with the District 26 average.
- What grades does J.H.S. 216 George J. Ryan serve?
- J.H.S. 216 George J. Ryan serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into J.H.S. 216 George J. Ryan?
- J.H.S. 216 George J. Ryan 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. 216 George J. Ryan public, charter, or private?
- J.H.S. 216 George J. Ryan is a public school in NYC Community School District 26.
- What neighborhood is J.H.S. 216 George J. Ryan in?
- J.H.S. 216 George J. Ryan is in Fresh Meadows-Utopia, Queens.