Joseph F. Quinn Intermediate School 77

Proficiency sits below district averages: 32.8% in ELA versus a district average around 51%, and 39.7% in math versus about 55% district-wide. The story isn't flat, though — math proficiency jumped from 12.4% in 2022 to 39.7% in 2025, a near-tripling that suggests real instructional change. ELA has been steadier, hovering in the high 20s to low 30s since 2018. Notably, scores climb sharply by grade: 6th graders post about 27% ELA and 32% math, while 8th graders hit 38% ELA and 48% math — a meaningful signal that students grow into proficiency during their three years here.

The day-to-day feel here is shaped by two very different stories. On the family side, it's warm and engaged: 93% of parents say they're satisfied, and trust between parents and teachers (97%) and parents and the principal (96%) is unusually high for a city middle school. On the staff side, the picture is more uneven — teachers rate the quality of instruction at 95%, but only 36% say they trust the principal, a sharp gap from the 68% who trust their colleagues. Discipline is light (1% suspension rate) but slowly rising from 5 to 9 suspensions over three years. The biggest climate flag is chronic absenteeism at 71%, well above what most families would expect — students are showing up, but a large share are missing enough days to be flagged.

I.S. 77's student body is 87% Hispanic, with smaller Asian, White, and Black populations, and a diversity index of 28% — far less mixed than the citywide average. About a quarter of students have IEPs and 78% qualify as economically needy, which tracks with the surrounding Ridgewood census tract where the median household income is around $83,500 and about 13% of residents live in poverty. The school is largely a community institution for local Hispanic families, and the ELL Support program reflects that reality.

Ridgewood around the school is a dense, renter-heavy pocket of western Queens — only about 20% of households own their homes, yet the median home value has crossed $1 million, a sign of how competitive the housing market has become. Just over a third of adults here have a bachelor's degree, and about 17% of households include children, which is lower than the city average and suggests many families are younger or shared households. The area has a distinctly Latin American feel, with locally owned shops, taquerias, and weekend street life.

Families have three solid subway options within walking distance: the L at Halsey Street (about 6 minutes on foot), and the M at either Forest Avenue or Seneca Avenue (about 8 minutes each). That's real transit access for a middle school.