Students at Queens High School for the Sciences — the New York borough’s only specialized high school — are pushing to move to a brand-new building, relocating from the second floor of York College’s Jamaica building.

Citing issues including overcrowding and the lack of a kitchen and auditorium, students hope to move into the new city-built school at 165-15 88th Ave., scheduled to open in fall 2026, ChalkBeat New York reports.

Sophomore Vinny Dong has twice addressed the Panel for Educational Policy, the school board that handles school location proposals, about his school’s conditions.

“We have a gym shared with a college that’s two blocks away, for 514 students. We have a library that’s also shared, even though it’s critical for our educational content and classes,” Dong told the panel in October 2025, per ChalkBeat.

At least three of the seven parent boards in the borough, along with the citywide high school parent council, also support relocation or creating an entirely new specialized high school, notes the outlet.

Founded in 2002, Queens High School admits students based on their Specialized High School Admissions Test scores. Al Suhu, president of District 26’s Community Education Council, said moving into the new building would allow the school to expand to 800 students, per Chalkbeat.

Two Competitive Schools, One Building

However, Queens High School isn’t the only school interested in the building. Allen Williams, president of District 29’s education council in southwest Queens, said parents at HBCU Early College Prep, a new school, have also requested to move there, according to the outlet.

Both schools vying for the building are highly sought after and competitive, and each is about a 20-minute walk from the site.

As AFROTECH™ previously reported, HBCU Early College Prep officially opened in Jamaica, Queens, on Sept. 4, 2025, welcoming 100 ninth-grade students in its inaugural class. The school plans to grow to 460-500 students by fall 2028.

Launched in partnership with Delaware State University (DSU), it is New York City’s first high school focused on preparing students for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Students receive admission based on seventh-grade GPAs, a writing assessment on a tech or healthcare issue in their community, and a two-minute video explaining how they would use their degree to give back. They can start earning college credits in ninth grade and graduate with a high school diploma, a tuition-free associate degree, and guaranteed admission to DSU, AFROTECH™ noted.

HBCU Early College Prep is currently located in a building sharing space with the Susan B. Anthony Academy (I.S. 238) and the P.S. 9 Walter Reed School for students with significant disabilities, ChalkBeat reports.

Per a letter received by I.S. 238 parents, all three schools on that campus will enroll up to 1,311 students by the 2029-2030 school year. Still, the building would be less than 80% full, notes the outlet.

“I fully understand how some parents feel when they want their children to have an experience with their own building,” Williams said, per ChalkBeat.

The New York City Department of Education said families and communities will be able to share feedback before a decision is made on which school will occupy the new building. Officials expect the issue to come before the Panel for Educational Policy in spring 2026, ChalkBeat notes.