“There is a need for strong schools that cater to the local community,” Kapadia said. “The role of our school is to really help the families in this neighborhood and the surrounding ones to have a great option so that they’ll get a great education and, along the way, will learn to be great scholars and people.”

CQA — a New York City public charter school founded in 2012 that gives a special preference to English Language Learners in its enrollment lottery — serves middle school students on two campuses in New York City’s so-called “United Nations district.” It is one of the thousands of charter schools that the Walton Family Foundation has supported in its effort to create more high-quality schools and educational opportunities for America’s children.

The early data on student performance at CQA tells a positive story: on the most recent state exams with available results, all grade levels of students outperformed the average student in the surrounding school district, the city, and the state in both math and English Language Arts.

We talked to the school leader, as well as some students and teachers to learn more about what makes CQA tick and about the impact the school is having on its young “scholars.”

Angel Geeng, CQA Math Teacher

When Angel Geeng immigrated to New York City from Taiwan with her family when she was 10 years old, she didn’t even know the alphabet in English. She was placed in an English as a Second Language program, where, at first, she failed her state exams. Quickly, however, she started to catch up.

She graduated from the selective Stuyvesant High School and then from Barnard College in 2009. Now, she weaves her personal story into her math lessons at CQA. “They remember all the stories I tell them,” she said. “They’re looking up to someone. They feel like they can make it.”

When CQA was founded, Geeng was teaching at Harlem Children’s Zone, another New York City charter school. She decided to move to CQA so she could give back to the borough of Queens, where she grew up, and help to prepare the students she refers to as “the class of 2022.”

Tenzin Ngodue, 5th Grade Student

Tenzin Ngodue, a fifth grader at CQA, was born in Nepal and lives in Queens with his parents and little brother. Only in his first year at CQA, he said he’s learned a lot of lessons in math, reading, and social studies — as well as some big life lessons — from his teachers.

His social studies teacher has taught him the importance of “respect,” his math teacher has taught him the importance of “advocating for ourselves,” and his English teacher has taught him that “if you work hard, it leads to success.”

Tenzin dreams of being a computer engineer when he grows up, and plans to go to college one day to study computers. But for now, he’s focused on embodying the values of his school.

Priscilla Walton, CQA English Language Arts Teacher

Priscilla Walton’s older brother didn’t learn English until he started elementary school as a child of immigrants growing up in Queens. Today, Walton sees her brother and other family members in her students at CQA — many of whom are immigrants and refugees and all of whom have different life experiences and perspectives.

As she picks books and articles for her students to read, she said she seeks out rich content and different points of view. Her goal is to help students develop their reading, writing, and analysis skills, while also building a stronger awareness of the world that surrounds them.

“I really, really hope that they develop a deeper self-awareness. Education is a door to understanding yourself and the world around you,” she said.

Citlali Castillo, 6th Grade Student

Citlali Castillo, a sixth grader at Central Queens Academy, was born in New York City and plans to become a teacher one day.

She said she will be the first in her family to go to college, but it’s something that is essential if she is going to realize her dreams.