Learners and Leaders

Learners and Leaders' 45.3% ELA proficiency and 37.9% math proficiency both sit below District 24 averages of 51.1% and 54.8%, respectively. The school's overall quality score of 1.66 out of 4 is well under the district's 2.12. Math has been especially volatile over the past decade — swinging from a high of 57.3% in 2016 down to 37.9% in 2025 — while ELA has been steadier and edged up modestly from 38.9% in 2024 to 45.3% in 2025. The biggest red flag is the grade-level split: third-graders post just 29.1% in ELA and 26.8% in math, while fifth-graders reach 61.2% and 50%. Older students appear to be catching up, but the early elementary years clearly need more support.

This is the school's strongest area. Zero suspensions across three school years is genuinely rare, and 98% of teachers report feeling safe — well above the district's 94.9%. Parent trust is exceptional: 98% trust the principal, 97% trust teachers, and 96% say there are strong relationships. Teacher-to-leadership trust sits at 90%. The other side is attendance: the 91.5% rate is just shy of the district's 92.7%, but a chronic absenteeism rate of 69.5% means roughly seven in ten students miss enough days to be flagged — and that almost certainly feeds the academic results. Teacher-rated instruction quality at 88% is also below the district average of 91.7%, suggesting staff themselves see room to grow on classroom practice.

The student body is 77% Hispanic, 11% White, 8% Asian, with small shares of Black, Native American, and multiracial students — closely mirroring Ridgewood's working-class, family-oriented character. An economic need index of 72.9% means roughly three-quarters of students come from low-income households, and 23% receive special education services, well above city norms. PTA fundraising lands at about $33 per student — essentially even with the district average — a sign of engaged families working with limited resources.

Ridgewood is a working-class, renter-heavy neighborhood in western Queens with a median household income of $83,559 and a 12.6% poverty rate. About 17% of households include children, and 35.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — solid but not a college-town profile. Only 20.4% of homes are owner-occupied, though median home values have climbed past $1 million, reflecting how the neighborhood has become a destination for young families priced out of Brooklyn and Manhattan. The strong Latino presence in the area matches the school's enrollment closely.

Two subway options serve the school: the DeKalb Avenue L stop about a six-minute walk away, and the Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues station (L and M lines) about an eleven-minute walk. That makes car-free commuting into Manhattan or Brooklyn straightforward for older students and caregivers.