CQA Community Celebrates Opening of New School Building at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Central Queens Academy Charter School (CQA) celebrated the official opening of our brand new school building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 7th. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, New York State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, and Louise Emanuel representing New York State Assemblyman Jeffrion L. Aubry were present to mark the occasion.

The new building opening kicks off another notable milestone for CQA - our 10th Anniversary year. CQA first opened in 2012 and was founded to improve academic and life outcomes for recent immigrant populations and English Language Learners. We serve District 24 and primarily the neighborhoods of Elmhurst, Woodside, and Corona - communities which are in need of free, high-quality, public school seats. At full-scale, CQA’s new 83,000 square foot facility, located at 88-14 Justice Avenue at the corner of 55th Avenue, will offer 900 tuition-free public school seats for elementary and middle school students. 

CQA has had significant academic success over the years and has grown to be one of the highest performing middle schools in all of New York State. The first students who came to CQA in its founding year ten years ago are now in college - a significant achievement for the school and the families. Speaking to CQA students, Borough President Richards said, “All of you deserve to learn in a state-of-the-art facility such as this. What they delivered here - 900 seats by 2024, with fully outfitted science labs, music and art rooms, a dance studio and more, is something we want to see for the entire Borough. I’m proud to see that this school is leading the way.”

Assemblywoman Rajkumar presented our school with a citation from the State of New York to recognize the opening of the building and CQA’s track record of academic success. Kathryn Connell-Espinosa, Interim Executive Director of the SUNY Charter Schools Institute, which is CQA’s charter authorizer, recognized teachers, families and students for their hard work, which has culminated in this success.