Queens High School for Information, Research, and Technology

The school's academic identity is built around STEM and tech: AP courses, a dual-language Spanish track, ELL support, and two high-demand pathways in computer science (11% offer rate from 409 applicants) and CISCO networking (20% from 241 applicants) — programs that together drew more than 650 applicants for 92 seats. That level of demand for the signature offerings suggests families are choosing this school specifically for its tech focus rather than its general academic reputation. With average district proficiency hovering around 56-57% in ELA and math, this school stands out less for raw scores than for carving out a clear niche in tech-focused secondary education.

With zero suspensions — extraordinarily rare for a NYC high school — the discipline story here is essentially absent, which speaks volumes about the daily climate. Parents report strong confidence: 97% trust the principal, 94% are satisfied overall, and teachers rate instructional quality at 97%, well above the district average of 91%. The one mixed signal is teacher-principal trust at 87%, meaningfully lower than the parent-side scores, hinting at some staff-leadership friction even as families feel deeply heard. Survey response rates are decent (48% of families, 36 teachers) and the parent-teacher trust at 95% suggests the classroom-level relationships are working well.

The student body is 54% Hispanic and 38% Black, with small Asian, White, and Native American populations — a profile that mirrors Far Rockaway-Bayswater's working-class, immigrant-rooted character. With an economic need index of 83.3, the vast majority of students come from households under financial pressure, and 18% have IEPs. About one in five neighborhood households includes children, and this school functions as a real community anchor — most students likely walk in from nearby blocks rather than commute from elsewhere in the borough.

Far Rockaway-Bayswater is a coastal Queens neighborhood where median household income sits around $68,000 and roughly 18% of residents live in poverty — well below citywide income levels. The community has a low homeownership rate (29%) and modest college-attainment levels (26% with a bachelor's or higher), but those homes that exist are valued at over $625,000 on average, reflecting the area's beach-adjacent character. About one in five households includes children, making this a young-family community that depends heavily on its neighborhood schools for stability and opportunity.

The school is well-served by the A train, with Beach 25 St about a 4-minute walk away, Beach 36 St about 10 minutes, and Far Rockaway-Mott Av about 10 minutes — making public transit the most practical commute for most families, including those coming from elsewhere in Queens or Brooklyn.