Redwood Middle School

Proficiency rates of 42.5% in ELA and 48.6% in math sit well below the district averages of roughly 63% in both subjects, and the overall 1.82/4 composite lands a full tier below the district's 2.51. But the trend line is the more honest story here: from a 2016 baseline of about 21% in both subjects, the school has climbed steadily, with notable jumps in 2022 and again in 2024. Eighth-graders post much stronger numbers (48.6% ELA, 61% math) than sixth-graders (33.3% ELA, 27.9% math), suggesting kids who stay and progress are doing real learning. The picture is one of a school still catching up to its district peers but moving in the right direction.

The day-to-day feel is split. On the trust side, parents give the school a 98% trust rating with teachers and 98% with the principal — among the highest you'll see, and parent satisfaction at 93% beats the district average. Teachers are less glowing: only 84% rate instruction quality positively (vs. 91.7% district-wide), and teacher survey responses were thin at 13, which makes that number a little soft. Discipline is calm — just two suspensions last year and a 1% suspension rate, well under the district's 0.37% baseline. The big gap is attendance: 88.3% attendance and a 55.9% chronic absenteeism rate means more than half the student body misses enough school to raise flags — a number driven especially by Black and Asian students here. That pattern is a real headwind against the academic gains.

Redwood's students mirror its southeastern Queens neighborhood closely: about 74% Black, 10% Hispanic, 9% Asian, and small slices of White, Multi-Racial, and Native American enrollment, against a Census tract where the median household income is roughly $74,500 and 11% of residents live below the poverty line. A quarter of students are English Language Learners receiving support, and 24% have IEPs — a higher-than-average share, which means classrooms carry a wider range of needs. The diversity index of 51% reflects a school that is predominantly Black but not monolithic.

Springfield Gardens (North) and Rochdale Village is a working- and middle-income residential pocket in southeastern Queens where about a fifth of households have kids, median home values sit near $385,000, and homeownership runs at roughly 37% — a higher rate than most of the city. About a quarter of adults here hold a bachelor's degree, and family density is solid. It's the kind of neighborhood where schools tend to be community anchors rather than pass-through options.

There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of the school, so most families will arrive by car, school bus, or local bus routes — this is not a transit-accessible school for the broader city.