The 30th Avenue School

The 30th Avenue School (PS/IS 300), often referred to as Q300, is a public school for gifted and talented children in New York City, New York. Currently, Q300 is ranked #10 in New York State based on scores from Regents Examinations.[1] There are two buildings of Q300. The Lower Division (grades K - 4) is located at the corner of 30th Avenue and 29th Street in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, while the Upper Division (grades 5 - 8) is located at 31st Road and 21st Street in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens.

The 30th Avenue School (30Q300)
Location
28-37 29th Street
Astoria, New York, United States
Information
TypeSchool for Talented and Gifted Children (Public School)
Established2014 (2014)
PrincipalVasilios Biniaris Matthew Willard (formerly)
Enrollment369 students
Information(718) 626-8502
School NumberPS/IS 300
Websiteps300q.org

History

It grew by one elementary and one middle school grade annually until 2019, when it reached capacity as an elementary and middle school serving students from kindergarten through grade eight. Q300 is the only citywide Gifted and Talented (G&T) program in Queens as elementary and middle school and one of five in all of New York City.[2]

G&T programs are provided for students identified as gifted and talented by assessments that are administered by the New York City Department of Education (DOE). For the program, students are selected solely based on test scores. To be eligible for placement to Citywide G&T programs, students have to score at or above the 99th percentile on the assessments administered.[3]

The school was initially led by Matt Willard, the former interim acting principal,[4] a graduate of Columbia University Teachers College. By 2016, he left for personal reasons and was replaced with Vasilios Biniaris as the principal. Mr. Biniaris left in 2019. Sonita Ramkishun is the Interim Acting Principal.

In the first year, Q300 had served students in kindergarten, first, and sixth grades. As the years passed, the student body grew by one elementary and one middle school grade per year over a span of five years. The gradual nature of this phase in helps ensure that a new school can develop its culture while building the capacity of its teaching staff over time. Additionally, students have the right to remain where they are currently enrolled, and this proposal ensures that Q300 has predictable and consistent enrollment and thus can plan most effectively for the upcoming school years (e.g. budget, staffing, space).

For the 2017-2018 school year, Q300 will serve students in all of the grades from kindergarten through grade eight (with the exception of fifth grade, in which Q300 will serve in the next year).

Location

For the 2014–2015 school year only, Q300 had all of the students in the P.S. 17 building. For the 2015–2016 school year, Q300's sixth grade together with seventh grade were recited to the I.S. 126 building, while the elementary grades stayed in the P.S. 17 building. During the 2018-2019 school year, Q300 served students in fifth through eighth grade in the I.S. 126 building and it is expected to continue like so.

See also

References
  1. https://www.schooldigger.com/go/NY/schools/0010206477/school.aspx
  2. "Gifted & Talented". New York City Department of Education. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  3. "G&T Community Information Session Presentation" (PDF). New York City Department of Education. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  4. "Declaring a Vacancy and Assigning an Interim Acting Candidate". New York City Department of Education. Retrieved March 23, 2015.

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