S.T.A.R. Leadership Academy

The trajectory here is the story. ELA proficiency jumped from 42.3% in 2022 to 57.2% in 2025, and math climbed from 49.5% to 66.1% over the same period — both finishing above the District 27 averages of about 56% ELA and 57% math. There was a dip in 2024 ELA (down to 40.1%) before the sharp rebound, which suggests the 2025 number reflects real recovery rather than a fluke. Grade 3 and Grade 5 performance is particularly strong in math (72.9% and 71.7%), while Grade 4 lags a bit in both subjects. The overall score of 2.47 out of 4 puts S.T.A.R. above the district average of 2.27, a meaningful gap for a zoned school.

The survey numbers here are unusually warm for a large urban elementary. 97% of parents say they're satisfied, 99% report trust in teachers, and 100% say there are strong relationships between teachers and students. Teachers rate safety at 99%, instruction quality at 98%, and trust in their principal at 96% — all comfortably above the district averages in the low 90s. The discipline record is essentially a non-issue: zero suspensions in each of the last three reporting years. The honest tension is that average daily attendance is a healthy 91.6% (above the district's 89.96%), yet chronic absenteeism — the share of students missing 10% or more of school days — sits at 67.5%. That gap means many kids are showing up regularly even as a large minority are missing serious chunks of the year, and Asian students in particular have a 74.8% chronic absenteeism rate. It's a pattern to ask the school directly about.

S.T.A.R. serves 411 students in PK through 5th grade plus self-contained special education. The student body is roughly half Hispanic (50%), about a fifth Asian (22%), then White (14%), Black (8%), Native American (4%), and multiracial (1%) — a diversity index of 75%. That mix roughly mirrors the surrounding neighborhood, where the census shows a working- and middle-class population with a 22.8% share of households containing children. About 52% of students qualify for economic need, and 13% have IEPs, both reasonable for a District 27 zoned school.

Ozone Park is a largely owner-occupied, working- and middle-class pocket of southern Queens. Median household income is around $83,000, the poverty rate is a relatively low 9.4%, and 58% of residents own their homes, with a median home value near $696,000 — a signal of a stable, multigenerational community. About 23% of households include children, and 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The school serves families who have typically put down roots here rather than newcomers passing through.

The A line is the spine of the commute: Aqueduct–N Conduit Av is about a 3-minute walk, Aqueduct Racetrack about 6 minutes, and Howard Beach–JFK Airport about 13 minutes — so most families who don't drive have a real option, though the school also draws heavily from its immediate zoned walking area.