5 Astoria, LIC K-8 Public Schools Named Best In State: U.S. News

ASTORIA-LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Several elementary and middle schools in Northwest Queens were named among the best in New York, according to a first-of-its-kind ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News and World Report.

For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States — over 1,220 of which are a part of the New York City Public School system.

Ps 122 Mamie Fay, a K-8 school in Astoria, topped the list of the city and state's best public middle schools. Shortly behind was the Baccalaureate School for Global Education, a school in Long Island City for grades 7 through 12, which placed third in the district and state rankings.

The 30th Avenue School, another K-8 school in Astoria, also appeared in the top 10 of both rankings, coming in fifth among New York's elementary schools and seventh among the state's middle schools.

Here's a complete look at the Northwest Queens public schools that ranked among the top 50 of either the best elementary or middle schools in New York City. We included each school's state ranking, too.

Northwest Queens elementary schools

• The 30th Avenue Elementary School: No. 5 in NYC and New York State

Northwest Queens middle schools

• Ps 122 Mamie Fay: No. 1 in NYC and New York State
• Baccalaureate School for Global Education: No. 3 in NYC and New York State
• The 30th Avenue Middle School: No. 7 in NYC and New York State
• Robert F Wagner Junior Secondary School for Arts and Technology: No. 33 in NYC and No. 52 in New York State
• Is 227 Louis Armstrong: No. 40 in NYC and No. 65 in New York State

All told, 27 schools in Queens ranked among the top 50 elementary and middle schools in the city, U.S. News found. Among those top schools, more than half are located in Northeast Queens, a part of the borough that's wealthier and whiter than other parts of the World's Borough.

Patch mapped the top schools here (schools in Northwest Queens are in yellow, schools in Northeast Queens are in blue, schools in Southeast Queens are in red, and schools in Central Queens are in green):

To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze math and reading proficiency and performance. Proficiency was based on how well students did on state assessments, and performance was assessed by how well they did compared with school expectations.

The state assessment data used in the rankings is from the 2018-19 school year and, therefore, predates any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on test-taking.

Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools.

California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.

This isn't the first time that educational institutions in Queens have topped U.S. News' school rankings: In April, a Kew Gardens Hills high school was named the best in New York State, and the 12th best nationally, in the outlet's annual high school ranking report.

Find the complete list of 2021's Best K-8 Schools here.