At a Glance
A small Queens school built around multisensory instruction and skill-grouped classrooms for students with learning differences.
Best suited for
A family with a child who has a diagnosed learning difference — dyslexia, ADHD, language-processing challenges, or a similar profile — who wants a small, skill-paced, supported environment and is prepared for an eastern Queens car commute and meaningful tuition.
What stands out
- The school's whole mission centers on students with learning differences and special education needs, rather than offering it as a separate track or pull-out service.
- Classes are deliberately small and grouped by skill level rather than strictly by age, making differentiated instruction the daily reality.
- Reading and writing instruction uses specific named multisensory programs — WordSense, Read Naturally, and EmPOWER — rather than a single textbook approach.
- Social Thinking concepts and on-site counseling services are integrated into the program, not bolted on after the fact.
- A Work-Based Learning Program serves students 14 and older, giving older students real-world experience as part of the curriculum.
Things to consider
- Tuition runs $39,800 for 2026-27 — a significant commitment, and worth weighing against the specialized focus and class size.
- A car is essentially required: there is no subway within walking distance, so daily logistics will fall hardest on families without one.
- Parent reviews are mixed (3.85/5), praising the nurturing environment and caring teachers but flagging concerns about academic rigor, particularly in upper school, and some administrative issues.
- This is a mission-specific school — families seeking a traditional, highly competitive college-prep academic track will likely find it the wrong fit.
- Because the school groups by skill level, parents should ask directly about how that works in practice across subjects and over time.
Identity
Summit's entire model is built for students with learning differences — that's the through-line of the school, not an add-on. Multisensory, research-based methodologies (including named programs like WordSense, Read Naturally, and EmPOWER) structure reading and writing instruction, while Social Thinking concepts shape social-emotional learning. Small, skill-level-grouped classes make differentiated instruction the daily default rather than an aspiration.
Community
Summit draws families from across the city who specifically want a learning-differences-focused environment, and that's the clearest thread binding the community together. The surrounding neighborhood skews middle-to-upper-income, with above-average educational attainment in the census tracts around the school. School-specific demographic data isn't available, so the school's identity reads as mission-driven rather than ethnic or geographic.
Neighborhood
Jamaica Estates-Holliswood is one of eastern Queens' more affluent residential enclaves, with single-family homes and a quiet, suburban feel inside the city limits. Median household income and bachelor's-degree attainment both run well above the citywide figures, while the poverty rate is comparatively low. It is the kind of place where daily life assumes a car.
There are no subway stations within a 20-minute walk of the school, so families should plan on driving or arranging car service — eastern Queens along Union Turnpike is solidly car territory.
Notable Programs
What Parents Are Saying
Mixed reviews; praised for a nurturing environment and caring teachers, but criticized for a lack of academic rigor in upper school and some administrative concerns. Overall rating of 3.85/5.
Synthesized from public parent reviews · Apr 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is SUMMIT SCHOOL- ELEM-JR HIGH a good school?
- Published quality ratings aren't available for SUMMIT SCHOOL- ELEM-JR HIGH yet on Motley. It's a private school serving grades Pre-K to 5 in Jamaica Estates-Holliswood.
- What grades does SUMMIT SCHOOL- ELEM-JR HIGH serve?
- SUMMIT SCHOOL- ELEM-JR HIGH serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into SUMMIT SCHOOL- ELEM-JR HIGH?
- SUMMIT SCHOOL- ELEM-JR HIGH runs its own private admissions process — typically an application, a visit, and sometimes testing.
- Is SUMMIT SCHOOL- ELEM-JR HIGH public, charter, or private?
- SUMMIT SCHOOL- ELEM-JR HIGH is a private school.
- What neighborhood is SUMMIT SCHOOL- ELEM-JR HIGH in?
- SUMMIT SCHOOL- ELEM-JR HIGH is in Jamaica Estates-Holliswood, Queens.