The specialized high schools of New York City are nine
selective public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
high schools
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
, established and run by the
New York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...
to serve the needs of academically and artistically
gifted student
Gifted education (also known as gifted and talented education (GATE), talented and gifted programs (TAG), or G/T education) is a broad group of special practices, procedures, and theories used in the education of children who have been identified a ...
s. The
Specialized High Schools Admissions Test
The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) is an examination administered to eighth and ninth grade students residing in New York City and used to determine admission to all but one of the city's nine Specialized High Schools. In 2008 ...
(SHSAT) examination is required for admission to all the schools except LaGuardia, which requires an audition or portfolio for admission.
The Schools
The Bronx High School of Science
The Bronx High School of Science was founded in 1938 as a specialized science and math high school for boys, by resolution of the
Board of Education of the City of New York
The Panel for Educational Policy of the Department of Education of the City School District of the City of New York, abbreviated as the Panel for Educational Policy and also known as the New York City Board of Education, is the governing body of ...
, with
Morris Meister
Dr. Morris Meister (1895 - 1975) was a science educator and administrator who was the founder and first principal of the Bronx High School of Science as well as the first president of Bronx Community College. He is noteworthy for his support and ...
as the first principal of the school. They were given use of an antiquated Gothic-gargoyled edifice located at Creston Avenue and 184th Street. The building, built in 1918 for Evander Childs High School, had been successively occupied by
Walton High School (1930) and by an annex of
DeWitt Clinton High School
, motto_translation = Without Work Nothing Is Accomplished
, image = DeWitt Clinton High School front entrance IMG 7441 HLG.jpg
, seal_image = File:Clinton News.JPG
, seal_size = 124px
, ...
(1935). The initial faculty were comprised in part by a contingent from
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School (pronounced ), commonly referred to among its students as Stuy (pronounced ), is a State school, public university-preparatory school, college-preparatory, Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school ...
.
Principal Meister put his imprint on the school from its formation, for example selecting as school colors "green to represent chlorophyll and gold the sun, both of which are essential to the chain of life."
Brooklyn Latin School
![Brooklyn Latin Sch 436 Bushwick Av jeh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Brooklyn_Latin_Sch_436_Bushwick_Av_jeh.jpg)
Unlike nearly all other specialized high schools, Brooklyn Latin has a strong focus on the humanities and classics. All students are required to take four years of English, History, Latin and a modern foreign language. All classes regularly hold Socratic Seminars, in which students lead roundtable question-and-answer discussions, and all students take part in declamation (public speaking) exercises. Because of the small class size, Brooklyn Latin offers a relatively small student-to-teacher ratio (currently around 16:1). All students are required to take
International Baccalaureate
The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...
courses in junior and senior year.
Brooklyn Technical High School
One of the original three specialized high schools in New York City (the other two being Stuyvesant High School and Bronx High School of Science). In 1918, Dr. Albert L. Colston, chair of the Math Department at Manual Training High School, recommended establishing a technical high school for Brooklyn boys. His plan envisioned a heavy concentration of
math
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
, science, and
drafting courses with parallel paths leading either to college or to a technical career in industry. By 1922, Dr. Colston's concept was approved by the Board of Education, and Brooklyn Technical High School opened in a converted warehouse at 49 Flatbush Avenue Extension, with 2,400 students. This location, in the shadow of the
Manhattan Bridge
The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan at Canal Street with Downtown Brooklyn at the Flatbush Avenue Extension. The main span is long, with the suspension cables be ...
, is the reason the school seal bears the image of this bridge, rather than the
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/ suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River ...
. Brooklyn Tech would occupy one more location before settling into its site, for which the groundbreaking was held in 1930.
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School is the only specialized high school in New York City that does not require that an applicant take the SHSAT. Rather, students are accepted through auditions in the fields of vocal music, instrumental music, visual arts, dance, drama, and technical theatre.
High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College
The High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College was created in 2002, with an emphasis on
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
. As of 2022, the school is #3 in New York State and #28 in the nation, according to ''U.S. News & World Report''. HSMSE was designed to be a small school with only about four hundred students.
High School of American Studies at Lehman College
The High School of American Studies at Lehman College is located on the
Lehman College
Lehman College is a public college in the Bronx borough of New York City. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within CUNY in September 1967. The college is named after Herbert H. Lehma ...
campus, in the
Bedford Park section of
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
.
Unlike the rest of the specialized high schools, American Studies curriculum emphasizes U.S. History, offering three years (as opposed to only one) of AP-level U.S. History. The partnership with Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History has allowed the school to plan multiple trips outside of New York City, with students paying relatively cheap fees.
In 2008, ''
U.S. News & World Report'' ranked American Studies as the 29th best public high school in the country and 2nd in New York State. In 2009, the school rose to be the 19th best public high school in the country. In 2014, HSAS was ranked #1 in New York State.
Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
The Queens High School for the Sciences at York College was formed in 2002 and continued to grow each year as a new class entered, reaching its present size in 2006, when the fifth class was admitted. There are now more than 400 students. As of 2019, the school is #8 in New York State and #62 in the nation, according to ''U.S. News & World Report''. The school emphasizes small class sizes and is the only specialized school in Queens.
Staten Island Technical High School
Staten Island Technical High School began in 1982 as an annex of Ralph R. McKee Vocational-Technical High School, located in the
New Dorp
New Dorp is a neighborhood on the East Shore of Staten Island, New York City, United States. New Dorp is bounded by Mill Road on the southeast, Tysens Lane on the southwest, Amboy and Richmond Roads on the northwest, and Bancroft Avenue on the n ...
neighborhood of Staten Island, after
New Dorp High School
New Dorp High School, commonly referred to as New Dorp or NDHS, is a public school in New Dorp on the East Shore of the New York City borough of Staten Island in the New Dorp neighborhood. The school is administered by the New York City Department ...
, which had occupied the building since it was built in the 1930s, moved to its current location on Clawson Street. The technical courses were taught in the annex, while the vocational courses stayed in St. George. Through the advocacy of parents, staff, and students, Staten Island Tech was made an independent high school by the New York City Board of Education in May 1988. Nicholas M. Bilotti, who had been serving as director of the annex, was appointed principal of the new high school.
Stuyvesant High School
![Stuyvesant HS](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Stuyvesant_HS.jpg)
Stuyvesant High School is named after
Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch also ''Pieter'' and ''Petrus'' Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Net ...
, the last
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
governor of
New Netherland
New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...
before the colony was transferred to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in 1664.
Of the nine Specialized high schools, Stuyvesant has the highest score cutoff for entry.
The school was established in 1904 as a
manual training school
A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...
for boys, hosting 155 students and 12 teachers. In 1907, it moved from its original location at 225 East
23rd Street to a building designed by
C. B. J. Snyder
Charles B. J. Snyder (November 4, 1860 – November 14, 1945) was an American architect, architectural engineer, and mechanical engineer in the field of urban school building design and construction. He is widely recognized for his leadership, i ...
at 345 East 15th Street, where it remained for 85 years. It moved to its current location, a building on the Hudson River at 345 Chambers Street, in 1992.
History
In 1934, Stuyvesant implemented a system of entrance examinations. The examination was developed with the assistance of
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, and the program was later expanded to include the newly founded Bronx Science and Brooklyn Tech.
Their status as specialized schools was frequently threatened by factions within the New York City school system and government. As a way to preserve their special status, in 1972, the Hecht-Calandra Act was passed by the
New York State Legislature
The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...
, designating these schools as specialized science and math high schools for New York City. The Act called for a uniform exam in math and science to be administered for admission to these schools, in keeping with the uniform examination that had already been required by the New York City Board of Education for admission to these schools. The School of Performing Arts and The High School of Music & Art (consolidated in 1984 into LaGuardia High School) were also designated by the legislature as specialized high schools, and admission was by audition and portfolio rather than examination, in keeping with their artistic mission.
Staten Island Tech began in 1982 as an annex of Ralph R. McKee Vocational-Technical High School and was made an independent high school in May 1988. HSAS, HSMSE, and QHSSYC were opened in 2002. Brooklyn Latin was established in 2006. All of these schools are required by state law to admit students based on the uniform Specialized High Schools Admissions Test,
and positions are assigned on a ranked system, depending on numbers of seats available and how many applicants requested a given school.
See also
*
Empowerment School
*
List of high schools in New York City
This is a list of high schools in New York City.
All boroughs
The Bronx
Brooklyn
Manhattan
Queens
Staten Island
See also
*List of high schools in New York
*List of school districts in New York
References
External linksNYC Departme ...
*
Hunter College High School
Hunter College High School is a secondary school located in the Carnegie Hill neighborhood on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It is administered by Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY). Hunter is publicly funded, and there i ...
References
External links
Specialized High Schools Student Handbook (2019-2020)
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