At a Glance
A Far Rockaway middle school on a striking academic upswing, where families overwhelmingly trust what's happening inside the building.
Best suited for
Families in the Rockaways who want a middle school with a demonstrable upward trajectory, an unusually rich menu of arts and STEM offerings, and a leadership team families clearly trust — and who are ready to support their child's attendance habits so the gains can keep compounding.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of NY State ELA + math proficiency, grades 3–8
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- Math proficiency (61.8%) outperforms the district average despite serving a high-need student body with 34% IEP students.
- Both ELA and math proficiency have roughly tripled since 2016 — one of the more dramatic upward trajectories in the data.
- A perfect 100/100 program richness score translates into an unusually deep catalog spanning film, dance, coding, Lego Robotics, photography, stock market, and Specialized High School test prep.
- Parent satisfaction at 99% and parent-principal trust at 100% — both far above district norms — suggest a school community that feels genuinely heard.
- Eighth-grade math proficiency hits 74%, showing that gains compound the longer students stay.
Things to consider
- Chronic absenteeism sits at 50.6% — half the students are missing significant school, which limits how far even strong teaching can go.
- ELA proficiency (46.3%) still trails the district average of 56.1%, even after years of improvement.
- The 4% suspension rate runs well above the district's 0.5%, though it has trended downward from a recent high of 18 suspensions.
- PTA fundraising is just $14 per student versus a district average of about $121 — families may need to advocate for more organized fundraising if they want to supplement what's offered.
- Average class size of 23.4 matches the district average, so don't expect unusually small classes.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 27
District 27 includes some of the city's standout charter and screened schools (Success Academy at 96, Peninsula Prep at 94, Scholars' Academy at 86), but Village Academy's overall score of 2.16/4 sits slightly below the district average of 2.27. Among unscreened traditional public middle schools, the school's trajectory makes it a quietly competitive option.
Academics
Math proficiency at 61.8% sits comfortably above the district average of 57.3%, while ELA at 46.3% still trails the district's 56.1%. The trajectory, though, is the headline: math proficiency has gone from a startling 9.8% in 2016 to 61.8% in 2025, and ELA has more than doubled from 19.2% to 46.3% over the same period. The gains deepen as students move up — 8th graders hit 74% proficiency in math, the strongest performance in the building.
Culture
The trust numbers are remarkable: 100% parent-principal trust, 100% parent-teacher trust, 99% parent satisfaction, and 96% of teachers rate instruction quality positively — all well above district averages. The discipline picture is mixed: the 4% suspension rate runs well above the district's 0.5%, but total suspensions dropped from 18 to 11 last year, suggesting real progress. The elephant in the room is attendance — at 87.6% it trails the district average of 90%, and chronic absenteeism hits half the student body, a challenge the school is clearly working against even as families report strong satisfaction.
Community
The student body is roughly half Black and half Hispanic, with very small Asian, White, and Native American populations, and a diversity index of 46%. The school serves a high-need population — an economic need index of 87.7 and 34% of students classified with IEPs — meaning strong outcomes here are being earned, not inherited. This profile mirrors the surrounding Far Rockaway-Bayswater census, where median income sits around $68K and 22% of households include children.
Neighborhood
Far Rockaway-Bayswater is a Queens neighborhood where median household income is about $67,668, roughly 18% of residents live below the poverty line, and about a quarter of adults hold a bachelor's degree. Homeownership is relatively low at 29%, and the median home value sits around $626K. The school is convenient to the A train at Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue, making subway commuting realistic for families throughout the Rockaways.
The A train at Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue is about a 6-minute walk from the school, with Beach 25 St on the A line also reachable in roughly 14 minutes on foot.
Academic Performance
ELA Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State ELA exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Math Proficiency
Students scoring proficient or above on the NY State Math exam.
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
Historical Trends
The dashed line marks 2023, when New York changed its grades 3–8 state tests. Scores before and after it aren’t directly comparable.
2020–2021 data unavailable due to COVID-19
Source: NYC DOE School Quality Reports
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 263 families responded (85% rate)
Programs & Activities
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
PTA Fundraising
Source: DOE Local Law 171 disclosure
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database (2023-24)
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
Middle school (6th grade)
Middle school is one citywide application, made in 5th grade. Village Academy admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Village AcademyUnscreened97 seats
Middle school application
- Opened
- Wed, Oct 14
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 11
- Offers
- Wed, Apr 7
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the middle school application, in 5th grade.
- 2Unscreened programs fill by random lottery among the families who rank them.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Village Academy a good school?
- On Motley, Village Academy earns an overall rating of 54/100 — the average of the school's New York State ELA and math proficiency, grades 3–8, shown out of 100. Its state test results run in line with the District 27 average.
- What grades does Village Academy serve?
- Village Academy serves grades 6 to 8.
- How do students get into Village Academy?
- Village Academy admits by application through a random lottery, with no academic screen.
- Is Village Academy public, charter, or private?
- Village Academy is a public school in NYC Community School District 27.
- What neighborhood is Village Academy in?
- Village Academy is in Far Rockaway-Bayswater, Queens.