{"id":2841,"date":"2024-11-09T16:26:19","date_gmt":"2024-11-09T21:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/?p=2841"},"modified":"2024-11-09T16:26:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-09T21:26:22","slug":"flushing-high-school-the-oldest-school-in-queens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/eternal\/flushing-high-school-the-oldest-school-in-queens-2841","title":{"rendered":"Flushing High School: The Oldest School in Queens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Founded in 1875, Flushing High School is the oldest surviving high school in Queens and the entire city of New York. The exterior of the building reflects its age, resembling a castle with Neo-Gothic towers adorned with gargoyles overlooking the green lawns of the campus. Learn more about this historic four-year institution below on queens1.one<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before Flushing High School, education in New York was influenced by religion and politics. During the era of the Dutch Empire (a 17th to 20th-century state comprising the Netherlands and overseas territories), local education was overseen by the Dutch Reformed Church, the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schools were tuition-based, and the church played a key role in administration. The Dutch continued to oversee education even during British rule. This changed when missionary groups, funded by the Anglican Church, assumed control over the education system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In post-colonial New York, the foundation of public schooling can be traced back to the African Free School, established in 1787 to educate children of slaves and free people of color. By 1827, when slavery was abolished in New York City, the school system included seven secondary schools, all equipped with extensive libraries and dedicated to scientific research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Popularity to Decline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Flushing High School opened its doors in 1875. Flushing itself was incorporated into New York City as a neighborhood in 1898, known for its rich cultural diversity. By the late 20th century, many immigrants, primarily Chinese and Korean, settled in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For decades, Flushing High School enjoyed a strong reputation in local real estate brochures, where proximity to the school was considered a significant advantage. Initially, the school only offered elementary education, but the curriculum quickly expanded. The Board of Education required students to clean their shoes before entering and avoid making noise. Running and whistling were strictly prohibited. By the 1980s, Jewish and Asian students made up the majority of the student body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Flushing High School offers a wide range of courses beyond what many other high schools provide. Teachers across 16 academic departments educate students in grades 9\u201312 in core subjects like math and social sciences, as well as specialized fields such as business and law. The school also provides an English language program and support services for students with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located on Northern Boulevard, the school shares its campus with two other institutions \u2013 a language school and an academy. While these institutions thrive, Flushing High School struggles with low graduation rates, poor attendance, and a steadily declining student population. The city considered closing the school in 2012, but it remains open. In the 2020\u20132021 school year, enrollment had dropped to just 1,414 students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the school lacks a sports field, students have access to two nearby fields. The building itself features gyms, cardio rooms, and spinning facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Architectural Gem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While the exterior of the building resembles a castle, the interior is reminiscent of a cathedral. The upper-level balcony is decorated with columns and arches, while large chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and wide stained-glass windows create a monastic atmosphere. The auditorium could easily be mistaken for a sanctuary, with vaulted ceilings and a large, non-functional organ enhancing the grandeur. The addition of two wings transformed the original building into a massive structure with long corridors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These architectural features have earned Flushing High School a spot on New York City\u2019s list of landmarks. In 1992, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural and engineering significance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Founded in 1875, Flushing High School is the oldest surviving high school in Queens and the entire city of New York. The exterior of the building reflects its age, resembling a castle with Neo-Gothic towers adorned with gargoyles overlooking the green lawns of the campus. Learn more about this historic four-year institution below on queens1.one. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":421,"featured_media":2100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1166],"tags":[2059,2061,2060,2066,2071,2073,2067,2065,2062,2064,2072,2070,2068,2063,2069],"moimportance":[81],"motype":[1158],"moformat":[83],"class_list":{"0":"post-2841","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education","8":"tag-flushing-campus-landmarks","9":"tag-flushing-diversity-education","10":"tag-flushing-high-school-architecture","11":"tag-flushing-high-school-auditorium","12":"tag-flushing-high-school-history","13":"tag-flushing-high-school-landmark","14":"tag-historic-queens-schools","15":"tag-national-register-of-historic-places","16":"tag-neo-gothic-architecture","17":"tag-new-york-architectural-gems","18":"tag-new-york-education-history","19":"tag-new-york-historical-schools","20":"tag-oldest-school-new-york","21":"tag-public-high-school-new-york","22":"tag-school-landmark-queens","23":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatori","24":"motype-eternal","25":"moformat-vlasna"},"modified_by":"Inna Hananova","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/421"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2841"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2842,"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2841\/revisions\/2842"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2841"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=2841"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=2841"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queens1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=2841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}