65% of Students Are English Language Learners
New York City Charter School Center CEO James Merriman congratulated Central Queens Academy as it began its first year in Elmhurst last Thursday, Sept. 6.
Part of a highly diverse new class of schools, Central Queens Academy serves a diverse, high-need population: approximately 65 percent of its students are English Language Learners.
Central Queens Academy, a middle school, is one of 24 new public charter schools to open citywide for the 2012-3 school year.
“With the opening of Central Queens Academy and 23 other new schools, we are able to expand the number of high quality options to an additional 7,600 children in New York City in this first year alone and approximately 20,000 students when they grow to capacity-progress toward reducing the 53,000 student waitlist for New York City’s charter schools” said Merriman. “The breath and diversity of this year’s schools show that the charter model continues to evolve to meet the needs of many more children and their families – as exemplified by CQA serving a student body that is 65 percent English Language Learners.”
“Opening our doors for the first time, I felt such a pure sense of excitement,” said Elmhurst-based Central Queens Academy Charter School Founding Principal Jesse Tang. “We have so much anticipation and preparation for the arrival of CQA’s first class of fifth-grade that while I know we have a long road ahead of us, having our scholars here and in our building really does feel like a long-awaited dream realized.”
This school year, 159 charter schools will be serving more that 56,000 of New York City’s public school students. Recent New York state test scores show charter school students continuing to outperform the citywide averages in reading and math, and many are narrowing or eliminating achievement gaps with the rest of the state.
The New York City Charter School Center is an independent nonprofit committed to fostering an environment in which public charters can open and flourish, and, through their innovative approaches, provide models for improving all public schools. The Charter Center helps new charter schools get started, supports existing schools, and engages the charter school community around key issues.
