M.S. 137 America's School of Heroes

ELA proficiency at 56.5% sits essentially at the district average of 56.1%, while math at 52.9% trails the district's 57.3% by roughly four and a half points. The longer view is more encouraging: in 2016 the school posted 41% ELA and 38.9% math, so both subjects have climbed by 14 to 15 points over the decade. Math has been the more volatile subject, swinging from a low of 39.9% in 2022 to 56.5% in 2024 before settling at 52.9%. Notably, Grade 7 math is a strength at 65.6%, but Grade 8 math drops to 43.2% — a pattern worth asking the school about.

Attendance at 90.6% edges out the district average of 90%, but the 64.8% chronic absenteeism rate — meaning nearly two-thirds of students miss 10% or more of the school year — is a real concern even as the overall attendance figure looks healthy. The school climate story is genuinely mixed: parent satisfaction and trust scores are exceptional at 96% across the board, and teacher collegial trust at 86% suggests a working staff culture. Discipline, however, runs hot: a 2% suspension rate is four times the district average, though suspensions have come down from a 2022-23 peak of 38 to 32 in 2023-24.

With 1,774 students, M.S. 137 is a sizable middle school, and the student body reflects a distinctive Queens mix of 48% Asian and 43% Hispanic students, alongside smaller Black, White, and Native American populations. The economic need index of 68.4 indicates a meaningful share of students from lower-income households, and 17% of students have IEPs. The school offers ELL support alongside an Accelerated/Honors track, though its overall program richness score of 34.7 out of 100 suggests enrichment options beyond the core are limited.

Ozone Park is a middle-income, family-oriented Queens neighborhood where the median household income sits around $83,000, poverty is relatively low at 9.4%, and 58% of households own their homes. About a quarter of neighborhood households include children, and the homeownership rate signals a settled, multigenerational community rather than a transient one. The neighborhood's median home value near $696K reflects steady, working-family investment in the area.

The school sits within a roughly 6-minute walk of both the 104 St and Rockaway Blvd stations on the A line, with Aqueduct Racetrack (A) about 10 minutes away — so families are tied to the A train for subway commutes.