Queens High School for the Sciences

QHSS offers a college-preparatory curriculum with an emphasis on mathematics and science. The curriculum includes honors, Advanced Placement (AP), Pre-AP, dual-enrollment and college-level courses. Students taking AP courses are required to sit for the corresponding AP examination, while students enrolled in certain dual-enrollment courses may simultaneously earn high school and college credit.^[7]

The mathematics curriculum is designed as a four-year sequence culminating in calculus. The school states that students are expected to graduate with knowledge and skills in calculus, with advanced offerings including AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC and AP Statistics. AP Calculus AB and AP Statistics are offered as dual-enrollment courses through York College, allowing students to earn college credit upon successful completion of the corresponding college requirements.^[7]

The science curriculum includes biology, chemistry and physics, supplemented by advanced and elective coursework. AP offerings include AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, and AP Psychology. Other offerings include anatomy and physiology, forensic science, environmental biology, genetics and Principles of Engineering. The school also offers a science research track beginning with Introduction to Research Methods for ninth-grade students.^[7]

Computer science offerings include AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, Introduction to Python and Data Structures in C++. The Python course introduces students to programming and computational problem-solving, while Data Structures in C++ focuses on the application of advanced data structures in larger programming projects.^[7]

QHSS participates in College Now in collaboration with York College. College courses may be offered on-site during the school day and taught by QHSS faculty, while additional courses taught by York College faculty are available after school or on Saturdays at the college. The school also offers dual-enrollment courses in which students simultaneously complete AP and college-level requirements.^[7]

The humanities curriculum includes four years of English and social studies. English offerings include AP Seminar, AP Research, AP English Language and Composition and AP English Literature and Composition, as well as a college composition course. Social studies offerings include AP World History, AP United States History, AP Government, AP Human Geography and other advanced electives. QHSS also offers courses in the performing and visual arts and world languages, including Spanish and Mandarin.^[7]

QHSS offers a variety of student clubs and organizations, with offerings varying from year to year based on student interest, staffing and availability. Clubs have included QHSS Alchemists, QHSS Music Makers, Key Club, Model UN, Robotics Club, Asian American Association, Veritas Literary Magazine, Amnesty International, Esports Club, Gender Sexuality Alliance, No Place For Hate, Chess Club, Muslim Student Association, QHSS ACT!, CardinalFOSS, American Red Cross, Green Team and QHSS Bookworms.^[8]

The school's Cardinal Robotics team competes in the FIRST Tech Challenge as Team 19426. The team, established in 2021, has competed in FIRST events in New York City.^[9]

QHSS fields eight varsity teams in the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL): boys' and girls' badminton, boys' and girls' bowling, boys' handball, boys' swimming, boys' tennis, and girls' volleyball.^[10]

QHSS was founded in 2002 as Queens High School for the Sciences at York College as part of an initiative between the New York City Department of Education and the City University of New York to establish three new specialized high schools on CUNY campuses.^[11] The other two schools established as part of the initiative were the High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College and the High School of American Studies at Lehman College. QHSS opened on the campus of York College in September 2002 with approximately 125 ninth-grade students.^[12]

In June 2006, founding principal Brian Jetter retired, and Jie Zhang took his place.^[13] In June 2011, Zhang was transferred to Stuyvesant High School, and David Marmor became principal. Marmor left after the 2012–13 school year and was succeeded by Lenneen Gibson, who served until October 2016. B.D. Anthony subsequently served as interim principal. Ana De Jesus became principal in November 2016.

The school is located on Hillside Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. The 169th Street station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line, served by the F train, is the nearest New York City Subway station. Several New York City Bus routes also operate along Hillside Avenue.^[21]

Results from the annual New York City Department of Education School Survey have shown changes in teacher perceptions of school leadership. In the 2024 survey, 28% of QHSS teachers responded positively on measures of teacher–principal trust, 33% on teacher influence in school decision-making, and 40% on instructional leadership. In the 2026 survey, the corresponding figures were 61%, 66%, and 77%, respectively.^[22]

From 2002 to 2026, QHSS was located on the campus of York College, where it occupied the second floor of the college's science building. Through an agreement with York College, students had access to campus facilities including the library, science and computer laboratories, theater, cafeteria, and physical education building.^[23]

In September 2026, QHSS relocated to Building Q497, a newly constructed high school facility in Jamaica, Queens. The building was designed with a capacity of 876 students, providing additional space after QHSS had operated above its intended capacity at York College.^[24][25]

Building Q497 is shared with P438Q@Q497, a site of the District 75 school Queens Academy for Innovative Learning (75Q438). The co-location was approved by the New York City Panel for Educational Policy as part of the 2026 school-utilization proposal for the building.^[26]