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High School Of Applied Communications

Q: Is High School Of Applied Communications a good school?

High School Of Applied Communications ranks 893 rd of 1234 New York high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

893^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,234 New York High Schools

Better than 28% of New York high schools

Summary

High School Of Applied Communications is a public high school in Long Island City, New York, serving 412 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the New York City Geographic District #24, which is ranked 544 out of 874 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, High School Of Applied Communications consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of New York high schools, with a statewide ranking between 746-1022 over the past 10 years. The school's performance on Regents exams is significantly below the district and state averages across various subjects, including Chemistry, Algebra II, Geometry, and Living Environment. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 24.24% of students were proficient or better in Regents/Chemistry, compared to 39.96% in the district and 64.53% statewide. The school's four-year graduation rate has ranged from 80.9% to 84.3% over the past few years, which is slightly below the district and state averages, and its dropout rate has been between 3.0% and 4.9%, which is higher than the district and state averages.

Nearby schools, such as Academy Of Finance And Enterprise, Bard High School Early College Queens, and Aviation Career And Technical Education High School, generally outperform High School Of Applied Communications on academic measures, graduation rates, and other key metrics. While High School Of Applied Communications faces significant challenges, its location in a diverse, urban area and its focus on applied communications could present opportunities to develop specialized programs and partnerships that cater to the unique needs and interests of the student population.

380

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,224

Per pupil spending ?

87.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

30-20 Thomson Ave
Long Island City, NY 11101

(718) 389-3163

District: New York City Geographic District #24

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

72.6%

Asian:

11.3%

White:

7.9%

See top rated New York high schools

Compare High School Of Applied Communications to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 15th percentile in 2022 → 28th in 2025

Strengths

✓89% graduate in 4 years — above the New York average (83%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 28th (2025) from a 15th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New York average (47% vs 66% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Chemistry scores 40 pts below the New York average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg60%

New York avg66%

893^rd of 1,234

New York public high schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 34% (2015) to bottom 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New York High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 12High Schools in the New York City Geographic District #24

544^th of 874New York City Geographic District #24 among New York districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	27.2	893 of 1234	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	976 of 1242	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.4	1022 of 1228	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.7	1014 of 1190	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.7	855 of 1207	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.7	974 of 1210	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.2	853 of 1221	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	25.0	966 of 1255	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	36.2	825 of 1255	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	42.5	746 of 1237	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	29.5	848 of 1217	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	34.4	807 of 1198	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	23.7	913 of 1165	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	17.3	959 of 1117	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	19.4	907 of 1086	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	19.1	866 of 1027	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	23.2	810 of 1002	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	20.0	617 of 713	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.5	556 of 690	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.2	585 of 593	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.9	636 of 679	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	30.0	311 of 413	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.3	336 of 426	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.3	381 of 424	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.7	334 of 386	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.3	363 of 447	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.7	388 of 426	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	32.4	487 of 669	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	524 of 637	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.3	414 of 583	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.3	391 of 481	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.2	201 of 565	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.0	381 of 546	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	23.9	924 of 1206	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	994 of 1219	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.9	1011 of 1197	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	1010 of 1155	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.7	823 of 1193	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	18.2	979 of 1176	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	34.9	557 of 885	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.6	640 of 865	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	720 of 851	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	635 of 760	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.3	495 of 815	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.6	602 of 791	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	37.4	404 of 607	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.1	482 of 564	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.9	299 of 531	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.3	177 of 493	64.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	28.3	862 of 1179	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	931 of 1170	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	975 of 1155	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	930 of 1101	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.9	819 of 1179	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.0	950 of 1154	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	31.1	831 of 1201	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.2	904 of 1211	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	988 of 1191	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	963 of 1154	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.1	866 of 1190	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	975 of 1176	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2023	40.9	174 of 272	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	26.0	917 of 1149	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.4	985 of 1144	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	928 of 1130	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.5	898 of 1038	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.8	767 of 1132	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.8	797 of 1095	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	17.7	711 of 788	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	727 of 781	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.2	706 of 776	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	34.8	596 of 793	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	729 of 765	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2025)37th percentile+9 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)36th percentile+19 vs school

Homeless (2025)33rd percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)31st percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)27th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)27th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)25th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)23rd percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)20th percentile-7 vs school

African American (2025)13th percentile-14 vs school

White (2025)10th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs New York (2024-2025) ?

Global History and Geography70%-6 vs state

Common Core English Language Arts68%-8 vs state

U.S. History and Government60%-15 vs state

Earth and Space Sciences53%-3 vs state

Life Science Biology46%-12 vs state

Algebra I44%-12 vs state

Common Core Algebra II37%-38 vs state

Chemistry24%-40 vs state

Geometry24%-36 vs state

Living Environment21%-36 vs state

Common Core Geometry8%-16 vs state

2.0

4 ratings · 2 written reviews

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1★3

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Wednesday, August 22, 2018

HSAC has drastically changed for the worst and the safety of students has become the secondary priority to the administration's agenda Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, October 8, 2014

This school does not prepare students for college or career. The three AP courses are barely on a HS level--rarely does anyone get college credit for these courses--don't take my word for it, ask the parent coordinator for the scores. The vast majority of students who go to CUNY schools have to take remedial courses for math and English at CUNY. The SAT scores are terrible--don't take my word for it, ask the parent coordinator for the scores. The Regent scores are low--the pass rate is not good at all--don't take my word for it, ask the parent coordinator for the scores. Why? Because most people, starting with the principal, have low expectations for the students. And it gets worse from there. Are there school clubs? Go to the school's website for the answer. Is there a real student government? Again, go to the school's website for the answer. And here is what might be the most amazing thing at HSAC: somehow, in a public school in NYC, there is not one single black classroom teacher in the school as of last year! (Yes, there is a black guidance counselor, but she is not a classroom teacher). It takes some effort on the part of the administration to not have one black classroom teacher. What kind of a message is the administration giving the students and parents? This is the type of school that warehouses students and sends them off with a diploma without the necessary skills to be successful in college and/or career. Close Quote

Schools Near High School Of Applied Communications

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Regents Chemistry (2025)	Regents Common Core Algebra II (2025)	Regents Common Core English Language Arts (2025)	Regents Common Core Geometry (2025)	Regents Earth Science (2025)	Regents Global History and Geography (2025)	Regents Living Environment (2025)	Regents Physics (2025)	Regents U.S. History and Government (2025)	Regents Algebra I (2025)	Regents Life Science Biology (2025)	Regents Geometry (2025)	Regents Earth and Space Sciences (2025)	NY State Assessments English Language Arts (2025)			NY State Assessments Math (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Regents Chemistry End of Course	Regents Common Core Algebra II End of Course	Regents Common Core English Language Arts End of Course	Regents Common Core Geometry End of Course	Regents Earth Science End of Course	Regents Global History and Geography End of Course	Regents Living Environment End of Course	Regents Physics End of Course	Regents U.S. History and Government End of Course	Regents Algebra I End of Course	Regents Life Science Biology End of Course	Regents Geometry End of Course	Regents Earth and Space Sciences End of Course	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 6th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 7th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Academy Of Finance And Enterprise	Public	9-12	30-20 Thomson Ave	Long Island City	11101	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #24	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 389-3623	874	59	14.7	87.4%	93 (10.6%)	44 (5.0%)	422 (48.3%)	164 (18.8%)	7 (0.8%)	3 (0.3%)	141 (16.1%)	66.9	382^nd of 1234 public high schools	69.0%		67.2	401^st of 1242 public high schools	67.7%	19	73.6	76.4	87.9	33.3	29.3	95.5	73.3	79.7	87.1	66.0	67.9	57.8	67.6						$24,296	$2,040	$22,256
High School Of Applied Communications	Public	9-12	30-20 Thomson Ave	Long Island City	11101	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #24	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 389-3163	380	31	12.1	87.9%	30 (7.9%)	20 (5.3%)	276 (72.6%)	43 (11.3%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (1.8%)	27.2	893^rd of 1234 public high schools	27.6%		20.5	976^th of 1242 public high schools	21.4%	83	24.2	36.5	67.5	7.7		69.6	20.6		60.0	44.1	46.1	24.0	53.2						$28,224	$2,367	$25,856
Bard High School Early College Queens	Public	9-12	30-20 Thomson Ave	Long Island City	11101	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #24	No	No	No	No	(718) 361-3133	643	59	10.9	64.7%	133 (20.7%)	97 (15.1%)	199 (30.9%)	188 (29.2%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.5%)	18 (2.8%)	78	182^nd of 1234 public high schools	85.3%		75	239^th of 1242 public high schools	80.8%	57			88.6			89.7	73.7		90.4	74.0	77.6								$26,529	$1,315	$25,214
Robert F Wagner Junior Secondary School For Arts And Technology	Public	6-12	47-07 30th Pl	Long Island City	11101	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #24	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 472-5671	626	45	13.9	81.6%	77 (12.3%)	18 (2.9%)	412 (65.8%)	95 (15.2%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.5%)	17 (2.7%)	36.1	795^th of 1234 public high schools	35.6%		36.1	789^th of 1242 public high schools	36.5%	6	13.0	35.4	84.1	0.0		80.3	37.3		73.8	34.3	38.8	38.4	40.0	69.2	92.7	67.5	73.6	94.6	$27,753	$2,260	$25,493
Middle College High School At Laguardia Community College	Public	9-12	45-35 Van Dam St	Long Island City	11101	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #24	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 392-3330	440	36	12.1	78.9%	40 (9.1%)	20 (4.5%)	328 (74.5%)	43 (9.8%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	4 (0.9%)								(n/a)			92.3																$30,002	$2,025	$27,977
International High School At Laguardia Community College	Public	9-12	45-35 Van Dam St	Long Island City	11101	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #24	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 392-3433	455	30	15.1	93.6%	21 (4.6%)	5 (1.1%)	381 (83.7%)	42 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.1%)								(n/a)			51.3																$31,248	$2,520	$28,728
Aviation Career And Technical Education High School	Public	9-12	45-30 36th St	Long Island City	11101	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #24	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 361-2032	1,924	145	13.2	75.1%	229 (11.9%)	81 (4.2%)	994 (51.7%)	539 (28.0%)	13 (0.7%)	13 (0.7%)	54 (2.8%)	69.7	341^st of 1234 public high schools	72.4%		74.6	251^st of 1242 public high schools	79.8%	90	57.0	88.5	88.2	26.5	39.2	92.9	43.4	62.9	92.5	70.4	62.3	79.3	67.9						$27,413	$2,225	$25,189
Atlas	Public	9-12	28-01 41st Ave	Long Island City	11101	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #30	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 937-6005	1,162	123	9.4	87.2%	52 (4.5%)	17 (1.5%)	1,028 (88.5%)	55 (4.7%)	6 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	12.5	1099^th of 1234 public high schools	10.9%		9.5	1145^th of 1242 public high schools	7.8%	46	10.3	27.6	40.0		0.0	52.6	32.1	0.0	55.6	34.9	52.0	17.9	20.9						$31,741	$2,518	$29,224
Academy Of American Studies	Public	9-12	40-11 28th St	Long Island City	11101	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #30	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 361-8786	1,206	77	15.6	67.8%	437 (36.2%)	41 (3.4%)	423 (35.1%)	265 (22.0%)	6 (0.5%)	3 (0.2%)	31 (2.6%)	57.8	546^th of 1234 public high schools	55.8%		62	493^rd of 1242 public high schools	60.3%	53	65.3	67.6	88.7	12.2	12.2	85.5	48.3	62.0	85.3	50.0	60.2	46.6	64.1						$24,742	$2,019	$22,723
Queens Technical High School	Public	9-12	37-02 47th Ave	Long Island City	11101	Queens County	New York City Geographic District #24	No	No	No	Yes	(718) 937-3010	1,294	102	12.6	86.9%	47 (3.6%)	35 (2.7%)	1,085 (83.8%)	93 (7.2%)	9 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (1.9%)	32.9	825^th of 1234 public high schools	33.1%		37.3	778^th of 1242 public high schools	37.4%	47	30.4	58.9	84.5	13.6	16.0	74.9	33.5	71.4	63.0	37.4	33.2	33.0	43.2						$29,847	$2,335	$27,512

Frequently Asked Questions about High School Of Applied Communications

What district is High School Of Applied Communications in?

New York City Geographic District #24

How many students attend High School Of Applied Communications?

In the 2024-25 school year, 380 students attended High School Of Applied Communications.

What is the racial makeup of High School Of Applied Communications?

Students at High School Of Applied Communications are 73% Hispanic, 11% Asian, 8% White, 5% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Is High School Of Applied Communications a good school?

High School Of Applied Communications ranks 893^rd of 1234 New York high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate High School Of Applied Communications!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the WNYC and the New York State Department of Health and the NY State Education Department.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.