Central Queens Academy Charter Schools

Education Administration ProgramsNew York, United States51-200 Employees

Central Queens Academy Charter Schools (CQA) was founded in 2012 to serve the multicultural, multilingual communities in NYC school District 24. Our mission is to prepare students for success in education, the workforce and the community through schools that integrate literacy, high standards-based academics and culturally responsive supportive services. 

The majority of our scholars are first- or second-generation immigrants and young people of color who fall below the poverty line. They hail from 60 different home countries from around the world and speak dozens of different languages.

CQA I opened in 2012 as a middle school and expanded to add an elementary school in 2021. CQA I completed its expansion in 2024 and is now a K-8 serving 900 scholars. Since its founding, CQA I has become the highest performing charter middle school in Queens and one of the highest performing public schools in the state. Our scholars have outperformed their peers across our District, NYC and NYS every year, in every tested grade since 2013.

CQA II opened in 2024 as an elementary school and currently serves 300 scholars across grades K-2. It will continue to grow by one grade per year until 2031 when it becomes a second K-8 school serving an additional 900 scholars. 

Both schools are operated in newly constructed, privately-leased facilities adjacent to one another. Together, the buildings create a 120,000 square foot, high-quality permanent learning campus in the heart of our community in Elmhurst.

Recognizing our teachers are critical to our scholars' success and our school's sustainability, in 2025, CQA launched a Teacher Residency program in partnership with Touro University. Resident teachers take their coursework in CQA facilities, learn from CQA clinical coaches, and train with master teachers to earn dual certification in Childhood Education and Teaching Students with Disabilities and a Master of Science degree.

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