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) and referred to as a middle school serving grades 6, 7, and 8.

2018:  Construction begins 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 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.  Read more about historical information on Ridgewood, Queens.

The Principals

1. Thomas Donahue              1917-1928        11 years

2. Stuart Wilson                     1928-1932        03 years

3. Alexander Goldstein        1932-1951        19 years

4. George Cassidy                  1951-1960        09 years

5. Joseph Downey                 1960-1962        02 years

6. Irving Berchuck*              1962-1968        06 years

7. George Salant                    1968-1982        14 years

8. Joseph Quinn*                   1982-1983        01 year

9. Allen Formichella               1983-1992        09 years

10. Catherine Powis*              1992-2000        08 years

11. George Foley                      2000-2007        07 years

12. Edward Santos                   2007-Present

*Became District 24 superintendents

The search is on for photos of previous principals.