At a Glance
A screened Queens middle school with rising test scores and one of the city's deepest extracurricular catalogs, in a car-dependent corner of Bayside.
Best suited for
Families in eastern Queens — particularly in or near Bayside — who want a screened middle school with strong academics and an unusually broad menu of programs, and who can handle a car-dependent 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
- Math proficiency at 81.8% — a ten-plus point gain since 2016 and one of the stronger trajectories in District 26.
- A 100/100 program-richness score, meaning the menu of clubs, arts, and STEM offerings rivals or exceeds almost any middle school in the city.
- Strong 8th-grade outcomes (88.2% math, 82.4% ELA) suggest students leave well-prepared for screened high schools and specialized programs.
- Screened admissions draw a focused, academically prepared student body.
- A clearly defined Asian-American community presence, reflected in both the student body and the surrounding neighborhood.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism at 83.7% is among the highest in the district — a real signal worth probing at a school tour.
- The suspension rate (2%) is twenty times the district average and has been climbing for three consecutive years.
- Teacher-reported instruction quality (84%) sits below the district average of 89.9%.
- No subway within walking distance means a car or bus ride is essentially required for most families.
- PTA fundraising of $26 per student is far below the district's $96, meaning fewer enrichment dollars flow through parent-driven channels.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 26
District 26 in northeast Queens is one of the city's strongest, and M.S. 158 sits modestly above district averages in academics and attendance — a solid but not standout performer among its peers. Its suspension rate is the clearest outlier in an otherwise strong profile.
Academics
Proficiency in both subjects has climbed substantially since 2016 — ELA rose from 63.6% to 76.8%, and math jumped from 70.4% to 81.8%, a ten-plus point gain. Current scores are a hair above district averages in both subjects, and the overall score of 3.17/4 edges the district's 3.12. The strongest performance comes from 8th graders (82.4% ELA, 88.2% math), suggesting the curriculum builds students' skills well across the middle-school years.
Culture
Parents express strong trust in the principal (96%) and solid trust in teachers (92%), and attendance (95%) is a touch above the district average. But two numbers warrant a closer look: chronic absenteeism affects 83.7% of students — an extremely high figure — and the suspension rate (2%) is twenty times the district average of 0.1%, with total suspensions climbing from 4 in 2021-22 to 13 in 2023-24. Teacher-reported instruction quality (84%) also trails the district's 89.9%, a gap worth asking about.
Community
M.S. 158 is 65% Asian, with smaller Hispanic (17%), White (13%), and Black (4%) populations — a demographic mix that mirrors Bayside's Asian-American community. The economic need index of 48.3 reflects a largely middle-class to upper-middle-class student body, consistent with the neighborhood's median household income above $100,000. Screened admissions almost certainly shape the academic profile and the relatively contained IEP share of 15%.
Neighborhood
Bayside is one of Queens' most established middle-class enclaves — a neighborhood where most families own their homes (nearly two-thirds), median household income tops $100,000, and roughly half of adults hold a bachelor's degree. The 8.7% poverty rate is well below the city average, and about a fifth of households include children. Public transit, however, is a real limitation for families without a car.
There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of the school, so most families arrive by car, school bus, or local bus service.
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
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) · 267 families responded (33% 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. M.S. 158 Marie Curie admits through 2 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- M.S. 158 Marie Curie Gifted & Talented ProgramScreened60 seats
- M.S. 158 Marie Curie Zoned ProgramZoned192 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 M.S. 158 Marie Curie a good school?
- On Motley, M.S. 158 Marie Curie earns an overall rating of 79/100 — 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 M.S. 158 Marie Curie serve?
- M.S. 158 Marie Curie serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into M.S. 158 Marie Curie?
- M.S. 158 Marie Curie 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 M.S. 158 Marie Curie public, charter, or private?
- M.S. 158 Marie Curie is a public school in NYC Community School District 26.
- What neighborhood is M.S. 158 Marie Curie in?
- M.S. 158 Marie Curie is in Bayside, Queens.