Public schools in Jamaica, NY
Jamaica has 49 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 18 high, 6 middle, 25 elementary, enrolling 29,771 students. They are run by 10 districts and agencies; New York City Geographic District #28 runs 32 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 10 districts and agencies that run Jamaica's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Jamaica | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City Geographic District #28 | 32 | 37,139 | not reported |
| New York City Geographic District #29 | 7 | 23,629 | not reported |
| New York City Geographic District #27 | 3 | 41,385 | not reported |
| Growing Up Green Charter School II | 1 | 682 | $30,767 |
| Success Academy Charter School-South Jamaica | 1 | 466 | $15,335 |
| New York City Geographic District #26 | 1 | 29,116 | not reported |
| NYC Special Schools - District 75 | 1 | 27,425 | not reported |
| Rochdale Early Advantage Charter School | 1 | 418 | $21,895 |
| New Dawn Charter High School II | 1 | 228 | not reported |
| New Visions Chtr HS-Adv Ma/Sci IV | 1 | 425 | $22,704 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
18 high schools in Jamaica, 12,190 students
The other 8 high schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High School for Community Leadership | 497 | 10.9 | 74.4% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
| Queens High School for the Sciences at York College | 495 | 18.0 | 55.2% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
| Queens Transition Center | 461 | 5.4 | 90.7% | NYC Special Schools - District 75 |
| Hillside Arts & Letters Academy | 414 | 13.5 | 74.9% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
| New Dawn Charter High School II | 375 | 26.8 | 82.1% | New Dawn Charter High School II |
| New Visions Chtr HS-Adv Ma/Sci IV | 363 | 9.6 | 70.8% | New Visions Chtr HS-Adv Ma/Sci IV |
| Voyages Prep-South Queens | 217 | 9.9 | 81.1% | New York City Geographic District #27 |
| Queens Satellite High School for Opportunity | 187 | 40.7 | 73.8% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
6 middle schools in Jamaica, 2,847 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JHS 217 Robert a Van Wyck | 1,265 | 13.8 | 85.7% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
| JHS 8 Richard S Grossley | 354 | 12.4 | 83.1% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
| Ms 358 | 345 | 16.1 | 89.3% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
| Catherine & Count Basie Middle School 72 | 329 | 10.6 | 86.0% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
| Emerson School (the) | 284 | 10.5 | 88.4% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
| Redwood Middle School | 270 | 10.8 | 83.0% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
25 elementary schools in Jamaica, 14,734 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS 95 Eastwood | 1,103 | 17.0 | 80.2% | New York City Geographic District #29 |
| PS 50 Talfourd Lawn Elementary School | 904 | 12.6 | 90.5% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
| PS 182 Samantha Smith | 810 | 12.3 | 92.2% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
| Growing Up Green Charter School II | 810 | 10.1 | 80.0% | Growing Up Green Charter School II |
| PS/is 116 William C Hughley | 806 | 13.0 | 82.6% | New York City Geographic District #29 |
| PS 117 J Keld/Briarwood School | 775 | 13.9 | 77.9% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
| PS 131 Abigail Adams | 754 | 14.0 | 84.5% | New York City Geographic District #29 |
| PS/is 268 | 696 | 12.9 | 82.9% | New York City Geographic District #29 |
| PS 86 | 689 | 16.1 | 82.1% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
| PS 82 Hammond | 674 | 13.4 | 89.0% | New York City Geographic District #28 |
The other 15 elementary schools
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Jamaica's public schools compare with New York's
The median Jamaica school has 13.0 students per full-time teacher, more than the New York median of 11.1. 92% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 53% across the state. Its median school enrolls 531 students (state 428).
| Jamaica | New York | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 13.0 | 11.1 |
| Median school size (students) | 531 | 428 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 92% | 53% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 100% | 85% |
| Charter schools | 10% | 7.1% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 49 Jamaica schools and the 4,767 New York schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Jamaica
- New York City Geographic District #28Runs 32 of Jamaica's 49 public schools.
- Hillcrest High School, the largest high school in Jamaica2,298 students in 2024-25, 14.1 per teacher.2,298
- Compare New York City Geographic District #28 with New York City Geographic District #29Jamaica's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in New YorkNew York's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Jamaica addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in New York
Questions about schools in Jamaica
How many public schools are in Jamaica, NY?
49 public schools with an address in Jamaica were open in 2024-25: 18 high, 6 middle, 25 elementary, enrolling 29,771 students. 5 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Jamaica?
Hillcrest High School, with 2,298 students in 2024-25 (New York City Geographic District #28).Which districts run Jamaica's schools?
New York City Geographic District #28 (32 schools), New York City Geographic District #29 (7 schools), New York City Geographic District #27 (3 schools), Growing Up Green Charter School II (1 school), and 6 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25