Humanities Preparatory Academy (also known as Humanities Prep) is an American public high school, located in the
Chelsea district of
Manhattan,
New York City. The school sends over 99% of its students to four-year universities and private schools. Founded as a program in
Bayard Rustin High School, it became a school in 1997.
Humanities Prep is part of a consortium of over 30 schools that have been exempted from taking all but the English
Regents Examinations. Housed on the third floor of the
Bayard Rustin Educational Complex
The Bayard Rustin Educational Complex – also known as the Humanities Educational Complex – at West 18th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, is a "vertical campus" of the ...
, Humanities Prep offers very few places, and admissions to the school are very competitive. The school has a current enrollment of 209.
Academics
Humanities students undertake a
college preparatory
A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education ...
curriculum, which allows all students to choose the classes they want. Teachers and departments have autonomy in curriculum design. The students are placed in small classes grouped heterogeneously by ability and age, including special needs students, to encourage student-centered pedagogy. The school's teaching philosophy is that work is the basic medium of self-actualization and discovery; self-reflection and revision are prioritised, and significance is placed on multiple drafts and critique.
Unlike most New York public high schools, students at the academy do not take the Regents examination, except the English Regent. Instead, students are required to pass performance-based
assessment
Assessment may refer to:
Healthcare
*Health assessment, identifies needs of the patient and how those needs will be addressed
*Nursing assessment, gathering information about a patient's physiological, psychological, sociological, and spiritual s ...
tests (PBATs) in English, math, science, and history with at least an 80, after completing the course for the given subject. The school's PBATs are more difficult than the regents exam. Students are asked to write a paper in the subject area demonstrating their knowledge of the material. Students must acquire 44 credits in order to graduate. They are also encouraged to take college classes during their junior and senior years.
Admissions
Priority is given to Manhattan residents. All transfer students must be referred by a guidance counselor and are then interviewed by the school when space is available.
See also
*
Education in New York City
*
Liz Murray
Elizabeth "Liz" Murray (born ) is an American memoirist and inspirational speaker who is notable for having been accepted by Harvard University despite being homeless in her high school years. Her life story was chronicled in Lifetime (TV network ...
References
External links
Official Website
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Public high schools in Manhattan
Magnet schools in New York (state)
1997 establishments in New York City