Two Queens High Schools Ranked Top Ten In State For STEM Education, Report Says

QUEENS — Two Queens high schools ranked in the statewide top ten high schools for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education, in a report by Niche.

According to the report, Queens High School For Sciences at York College is the sixth best school in the state for STEM education followed by Townsend Harris High School, which ranked seventh on the list.

Queens High School For Sciences received an A+ for academics and college readiness. The percentage of the student at or above the nationwide level of math proficiency was 95 percent. While the school did not do as well in the areas of sports and club activities, the results showed that it had a student-to-teacher ratio of 17:1.

"From the school spirit weeks to the talent shows to the Battle of the Grades and the Multicultural Feasts, I realized that the experiences that I have are replaceable," one Queens High School Sciences student said in a review.

Townsend Harris High School received an A+ for academics and college readiness. The diversity grade for the school was an A as well. The math proficiency level for the school was even higher than the previous school, showing that 99 percent of the student were at or above the nationwide level. The student-to-teacher ratio was 21:1, higher than the national average. Student participation in clubs and activities also received an A+ grade.

"Although the school work is tough, one has to remind themselves that the hard work will eventually pay off. Everyone is on the same boat and will experience the same types of hardships," one Townsend Harris High School student said in a review.

NICHE is a website that surveys millions reports and data sets to measure performance for each high school, and ranks them accordingly.

For the STEM education rankings, the website considered, among other criteria, the SAT/ACT scores, math proficiency, number of students intending to study STEM majors, and parent and student opinions on STEM education at their school.

Other Queens schools that ranked in the best 100 for STEM education in New York state were Bard High School Early College Queens (34th) and the Baccalaureate School for Global Education (43rd), Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows (70th) and Jamaica Gateway to the Sciences (78th).

The full 2017 ranking for STEM education can be found here.

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