Richmond Hill High School

The school doesn't publish the same ELA and Math proficiency figures many other NYC schools do, but the academic signal is strong in other ways: admissions are screened, demand is fierce (over 1,050 applicants for just 178 ninth-grade seats across two programs), and the course catalog includes AP courses, STEM tracks (coding, robotics), and humanities. AP access and ELL support sit side by side, which suggests the school takes both college-bound and English-learning students seriously. The Career Exploration Academy accepted about 20% of applicants; the Criminalistics and Forensics Institute accepted only about 12.5%, making it one of the more selective public high school seats in the borough.

The day-to-day feel here is a study in contrasts. Families are happy (91% parent satisfaction, 93% parent-teacher trust, 92% parent-principal trust — all near or above district averages) and discipline is essentially a non-issue with zero suspensions reported, well below the district rate. But teachers tell a more complicated story: teacher-principal trust sits at just 70%, and only 85% rate instruction quality positively, both noticeably below the district averages of roughly 91%. Teacher survey responses (105) are robust, so this isn't a small-sample fluke. The most honest read: families feel welcomed and heard, but staff culture could be stronger.

The student body mirrors the neighborhood's cultural fabric: 51% Hispanic, 28% Asian, 11% Black, with smaller White, Multi-Racial, and Native American populations. The diversity index of 68% reflects genuine mixing rather than a couple of dominant groups. With an economic need index of 78.2 (meaning most students come from lower-income households) and 17% of students with IEPs, this is a school that serves a broad range of learners — including a meaningful ELL population. Class size averages 23.4, right at the district norm.

Richmond Hill is a family-dense, working- and middle-class Queens neighborhood with a median household income around $78,000 and an 11.7% poverty rate — solidly middle-income but with real economic diversity. About a quarter of households include children, and nearly half of homes are owner-occupied, suggesting a stable residential base. The 28% bachelor's-degree rate reflects a population that includes both recent immigrants and established professionals. The school's demographics line up closely with the neighborhood's cultural mix.

The J train at 111 St is about a five-minute walk — your closest option. The J and Z stop at 121 St about ten minutes away, and the 104 St stop (also J and Z) is roughly twelve minutes on foot.