Preparing students to tackle tomorrow's challenges through creativity and real-world problem-solving.
Preparing students to tackle tomorrow's challenges through creativity and real-world problem-solving.
Dear Quest to Learn Families,
Quest to Learn was founded in 2009 as a school built on a simple, radical idea: that kids learn best when learning feels like a game — challenging, collaborative, and worth playing. So much has changed in our city and our world since then. But what hasn’t changed is who we are. Our design principles of game-like learning inform how teachers build rich, hands-on experiences that foster critical thinking, skill development, collaboration, and iteration. Our core values still inform our school culture, from the advisory curriculum to how we greet each other in the hallway. Sixteen years in, our commitment to the game is unchanged; it’s how we play that has evolved.
When Kids Win, We Win.
As you may have seen, middle school literacy outcomes declined across New York State. At Quest, students grew: 6-8th grade students reading at or above grade level increased 12% from the previous year, with our most significant gains among 8th graders. Every single 8th grader in high school level Algebra passed the Algebra Regents in June. This means more of our Qdents are entering high school this year at or above grade level, ready for what’s next.
In the Upper School, more of our students passed their Regents exams in 8 of 9 subjects compared to the year before, and more of them earned a College Ready score in math and English in the process.
Smaller class sizes: The majority of classes have fewer than 25 students in the high school and 23 students in the middle school. Most core courses have two teachers per room. Students receive more teacher attention, without compromising the collaborative, problem-based approach to learning that makes Quest special.
A deeper investment in literacy. We use highly respected intervention curriculum and teachers with specialized training to help students behind in reading reach grade level faster. This year, we’re expanding that program for students and adding more coaching for our teachers.
High-quality, student-centered afterschool programming. Inspiring Minds and Manhattan Youth continue to offer a wide range of educational, athletic, artistic, and youth development programs after the bell rings. This year, we’re adding new partners for programming in theater and music.
Expanded college and career readiness. Upper School students have more elective choices than ever, including forensic science, financial literacy, psychology, and cybersecurity. For the first time, we are offering a SUNY course taught by a professor right here at Quest in addition to college level AP courses. We’ve also added a dedicated college and career counselor to support students and provide workshops for families. This year, we were awarded a Middle School Career Exploration & Advising program that helps younger students start connecting their interests to careers as early as 6th grade.
Taking care of the whole child. We’ve maintained a low counselor-to-student ratio and added a SAPIS counselor this past spring to prevent and address harmful behaviors like vaping. This year, we’re adding a social work intern to support students in crisis. We continue to provide social emotional learning and build community through Home Base advisory program.
There is so much happening at Quest to Learn this year and we are so excited to share this with your children, many of whom helped shape our decisions with their voices.
Your voice and partnership as families is essential to our community, too. Look for the weekly Q News on Fridays for upcoming parent meetings and opening-of-school logistics. Check the website for the full school calendar, including test dates, holidays, school pictures, and report cards.
We can’t wait for the year ahead.
Warmly,
Marina Galazidis
Principal
We empower students to excel academically, socially, and emotionally through discovery, problem-solving, and dynamic education. At Quest, every student is a changemaker.
As we continue on this journey, we have clear goals for this year—goals that will help us get even closer to our vision for the future of Quest to Learn. These goals will guide the way we teach, support students, and strengthen our community.
This year, we are focused on great instruction to ensure that every student, in every classroom, is receiving high-quality, consistent, and engaging lessons. We provide our teachers with the tools they need to refine their dynamic curriculum, and focus on what their students know, and develop their teaching practices, ensuring that all students have the support they need to thrive.
All students will continue to demonstrate their knowledge through performance-based learning assessments. These assessments are an integral part of every course, allowing students to show what they know through real-world challenges and projects such as producing a podcast for a memoir unit in ELA to researching and proposing a solution in front of NYC elected officials in Government, to testing water quality and designing a filtration system in Environmental Science, to designing a skate park in Pre-Calculus. This approach helps students apply what they’ve learned and prepares them for the world beyond school.
We will continue to grow our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), expanding this structure to support 8th and 9th graders and multilingual learners. By providing tailored interventions and additional support, we ensure that every student can reach their potential, no matter their starting point.
This year, we will continue to provide real-world learning opportunities through internships, partnerships, and field trips that connect classroom learning to students’ interests and future goals through our partnerships with Inspiring Minds, the High Line, Hudson Sailing, Google, and many more! We will also focus on increasing student engagement by promoting strong attendance and positive incentives, ensuring that every student feels motivated and ready to learn.
✦ Tech-equipped classrooms
✦ Collaborative spaces
✦ Personalized support for every learner
