Merrick Academy - Queens Public Charter School

Test scores here have climbed from the low 30s in 2016 to roughly 60% in ELA and mid-50s in math this year — a near-doubling over nine years. ELA proficiency of 61.9% runs about five points above the District 29 average of 56.9%, and math's 54.5% just edges past the district's 53.7%. The trajectory has been bumpy — ELA dipped in 2022 before rebounding — but the long arc is clearly upward, and the upper grades (4th and 5th) are posting results in the 60-67% range, well above where the school was even three years ago.

Parents report high trust in both teachers (92%) and the principal (93%) — among the stronger relationships you'll find in a District 29 school. But the daily attendance of 92.5% sits against a chronic absenteeism rate of 73.5%, meaning most students are missing ten or more days a year. Teacher-reported instruction quality is 79.6%, which is well below the district average of 88.4% — the kind of gap that warrants a parent asking what teachers are seeing day-to-day in their classrooms. Still, parent satisfaction stays high at 89%, suggesting families don't feel the strain the teacher survey captures.

Enrollment is 538 students spread across K-7, with 87% Black, 8% Hispanic, and small shares of Asian, white, multiracial, and Native American students. The school's population skews more concentrated than the neighborhood itself, which is majority-Black but with broader mix — the 17% IEP share and 59.7 economic need index point to a student body leaning on significant support services. Classes run about 23 students, on par with the district average.

Laurelton is a stable, middle-class southeast Queens neighborhood where nearly 80% of households own their homes and the median home value tops half a million dollars. Median household income runs about $106,000 and the poverty rate is under 5% — unusual stability for a Queens neighborhood anchored by single-family homes. About 17% of households include children, so there are families here, though school-age kids are not the dominant demographic block. Education levels are moderate, with roughly a third of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of the school, so families reach Merrick Academy by car, school bus, or a longer transit-and-walk combination.