History

The Building

• 1917: P.S. 93 opened as an elementary school serving grades 1 to 8 and could accommodate about 1,100 students. The school was built on what used to be a local apple orchard.
• 1961: P.S. 93 became J.H.S. 93 (Junior High School 93), serving grades 7, 8, and 9. A cafeteria, a music room, a band room, and a gymnasium were added to the building. With these additions, the school lost half of the original school yard.
• 1998: A three-story modular unit opened to accommodate a rapidly increasing student population of more than 1,600. This unit, commonly referred to today as the “new wing,” replaced what remained of the original school yard. J.H.S. 93 became I.S. 93 (Intermediate School 93), a middle school serving grades 6, 7, and 8.
• 2018: Construction began to make I.S. 93 fully accessible (ADA compliant), which will include an elevator.

Changing Demographics

I.S. 93 opened its doors in September of 1917. There were only 35 graduates in its first year of operation. Since its beginning, I.S. 93 has served the local community, which has always included many immigrants coming to the U.S. for a better life. Through the mid-20th century, most immigrants were white of European origin, predominantly from Ireland, Germany and Italy. Around the 50's and 60's, Romanians, Serbians, and Puerto Ricans made their homes in Ridgewood. During the years of integration/desegregation, African American students were bussed to I.S. 93 from the Corona area and represented about 5% of the student body. From 1980 to present day, many I.S. 93 students have come from Poland, China, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. Our current demographics snapshot shows 71% of our students are Hispanic or Latino, 10% are Asian, 17% are white, and 1% are Black or African American.

• The 1964 school boycott (WNYC)
• Ridgewood, Queens (Wikipedia)