31. Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy
660 W. 237th St., The Bronx
ADMISSION: Grades, test scores, priority to continuing 8th graders
ENROLLMENT: 634
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 28
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 90%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 80%
COLLEGE READY: 27%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 78%
# TAKING SAT: 101
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1424
# TAKING AP TESTS: 133
AP PASS RATE: 65%
Supportive 6-12 school in chic neighborhood has vibrant science program. Students take 9 APs, and French, Latin, or Spanish. Strong on humanities and arts with a ceramic studio, poetry and Shakespeare competition. Friday-night teen center. Popular cheerleading squad.
32. Bayside High School
32-24 Corporal Kennedy St., Queens
ADMISSION: Open to Queens students; grades, test scores for special programs
ENROLLMENT: 3,628
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 32
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 91%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 83%
COLLEGE READY: 56%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 75%
# TAKING SAT: 799
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1465
# TAKING AP TESTS: 504
AP PASS RATE: 54%
Packed to 176% capacity, this large school buzzes with neighborhood kids and outsiders drawn to selective programs in history and environmental science. Three new career and technical programs instill marketable skills in sports medicine, computer programming, and international relations. Twenty-one APs, seven languages. Many sports teams and nearly 50 clubs.
33. Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics
1363 Fulton Ave., The Bronx
ADMISSION: Priority to Bronx students
ENROLLMENT: 423
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 24
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 90%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 78%
COLLEGE READY: 40%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 68%
# TAKING SAT: 71
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1392
# TAKING AP TESTS: 69
AP PASS RATE: 56%
High expectations get results at this small school near the Bronx jail in Morrisania. Students wear blue blazers; grads are the first in their family to attend college — and many win scholarships. Five APs, Japanese and Spanish. One shared science lab.
34. Manhattan Village Academy
43 W. 22 St., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Grades, test scores, attendance
ENROLLMENT: 433
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 20
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 96%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 97%
COLLEGE READY: 52%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 82%
# TAKING SAT: 78
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1412
# TAKING AP TESTS: 37
AP PASS RATE: 61%
Engaging school in renovated Chelsea office building prides itself on a high graduation rate for African-American males. Students manage a heavy workload, compile portfolios aimed at getting into top college. Four-year science research program, four APs, Latin and Spanish. Hosted an Israeli-Palestinian peace debate. Uniforms.
35. Edward R. Murrow High School
1600 Ave. L, Brooklyn
ADMISSION: Open to Brooklynites; some programs screened or audition
ENROLLMENT: 4,019
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 30
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 90%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 72%
COLLEGE READY: 46%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 66%
# TAKING SAT: 725
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1421
# TAKING AP TESTS: 436
AP PASS RATE: 55%
“Nontraditional environment” with free periods to study or socialize sets this school apart. Selective programs in communications and the arts. Wide array of classes include Holocaust/ African/Latin literature, NYC history and “Virtual Enterprise,” a student-run global business. Twenty-two APs, five languages, TV studio, greenhouse, planetarium. Martial arts and yoga in seven gyms.
36. Forest Hills High School
67-01 110th St., Queens
ADMISSION: Screened and zoned
ENROLLMENT: 3,897
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 31
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 89%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 82%
COLLEGE READY: 38%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 65%
# TAKING SAT: 758
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1416
# TAKING AP TESTS: 854
AP PASS RATE: 45%
Popular “Blue Ribbon School of Excellence” draws gifted kids to its science and math honors program, producing Siemens and Intel contenders. Kids must take Regents exams to go to the prom or play on a sports team. Thousands seek 100 seats in the Law and Humanities Institute. Drama and music academies require audition. Sixteen APs, American Sign and six world languages.
37. Manhattan/Hunter Science High School
122 Amsterdam Ave., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Open to NYC residents; grades,test scores for early college
ENROLLMENT: 454
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 22
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 95%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 87%
COLLEGE READY: 59%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 92%
# TAKING SAT: 98
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1460
# TAKING AP TESTS: None
Rigorous small school. Kids spend three years in classes on the top floor of the MLK complex near Lincoln Center, and their fourth year at the Hunter College campus on the Upper East Side. Grads complete a four-year research program and community service. After graduation, they can attend Hunter full time — for free. Sports and clubs.
38. Young Women’s Leadership School
105 E. 106th St., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Girls only; grades, test scores.
ENROLLMENT: 294
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 22
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 94%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 98%
COLLEGE READY: 41%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 98%
# TAKING SAT: 66
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1365
# TAKING AP TESTS: 50
AP PASS RATE: 44%
Flagship campus for a network of all-girls public schools that prepare struggling students from low-income homes for college. Offers 5 APs and Spanish, but no advanced math or science. SAT prep is built into the 11th grade, tutoring after school. Theater, orchestra, chorus. Indoor track team. Uniforms.
39. Brooklyn College Academy
2900 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn
ADMISSION: Priority to continuing 8th graders, then to Brooklyn students
ENROLLMENT: 561
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 28
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 95%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 99%
COLLEGE READY: 54%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 89%
# TAKING SAT: 144
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1445
# TAKING AP TESTS: None
Motivated kids who can handle the freedom of a college campus — and the college credits — thrive here. Juniors and seniors take classes from anthropology to calculus to theater at Brooklyn College, about a mile away. Students use the college cafeteria, gym, library.
40. Bedford Academy High School
1119 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn
ADMISSION: Priority to District 1 students
ENROLLMENT: 363
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 21
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 92%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 97%
COLLEGE READY: 39%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 92%
# TAKING SAT: 78
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1318
# TAKING AP TESTS: 85
AP PASS RATE: 21%
Popular Bed-Stuy school aims to prepare kids for careers in medicine, engineering, law, and encourages them to become role models. Uniforms, and tight discipline. leadership class for males. All students take four years of science and math. Athletes must maintain an 80 average.
41. Aviation Career and Technical Education High School
45-30 36 St., Queens
ADMISSION: All
ENROLLMENT: 2,119
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 29
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 95%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 83%
COLLEGE READY: 44%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 65%
# TAKING SAT: 367
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1373
# TAKING AP TESTS: 125
AP PASS RATE: 49%
Students fulfill Regents requirements while earning FAA certification in aircraft engine structure, maintenance, or both if they enroll in a fifth-year program. Hands-on instruction in a Long Island City building, labs equipped with professional equipment and an airplane hangar. Offers 7 APs and Spanish. Student body is 90 percent male. Clubs include Future Airline Pilots.
42. Talent Unlimited High School
317 E. 67th St., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Audition
ENROLLMENT: 503
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 26
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 93%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 93%
COLLEGE READY: 48%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 75%
# TAKING SAT: 86
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1462
# TAKING AP TESTS: 64
AP PASS RATE: 24%
Tight-knit school for kids with “exceptional talent.” Classrooms come alive with students dancing, acting, singing and playing instruments. Training at Martha Graham dance center, career-based internships. Teachers mix arts with academics — history is learned through plays. Four APs, Spanish, College Now.
43. Professional Performing Arts High School
328 W. 48th St., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Audition
ENROLLMENT: 410
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 27
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 93%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 90%
COLLEGE READY: 39%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 61%
# TAKING SAT: 86
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1426
# TAKING AP TESTS: 28
AP PASS RATE: 36%
Aspiring performers in drama, dance and voice flock to this 6-12 Hell’s Kitchen school. Kids get training from the Actors Institute, Alvin Ailey and other industry leaders. Only two APs, but juniors and seniors can take college courses at NYU or CUNY. The 100-year-old building has a renovated auditorium and science labs.
44. NYC Museum School
333 West 17th St., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Priority to District 2
ENROLLMENT: 524
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 30
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 94%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 91%
COLLEGE READY: 83%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 77%
# TAKING SAT: 122
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1712
# TAKING AP TESTS: 151
AP PASS RATE: 51%
Students study at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Japan Society, Museum of the Moving Image and others. Learning “modules” focus on world religions, evolution, US history and culture. Offers 3 APs, Japanese and Spanish, College Now at Baruch College.
45. CSI High School for International Studies
100 Essex Dr., Staten Island
ADMISSION: Priority to Districts 20, 21, 31
ENROLLMENT: 526
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 26
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 93%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 94%
COLLEGE READY: 38%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 90%
# TAKING SAT: 91
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1418
# TAKING AP TESTS: 55
AP PASS RATE: 35%
Foreign language is required all four years. Students choose Chinese, Japanese or Spanish. Some take international trips. Classes at the College of Staten Island; some CSI professors teach political science and psychology.
46. James Madison High School
3787 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn
ADMISSION: Brooklynites only; priority to zoned residents
ENROLLMENT: 3,145
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 30
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 90%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 66%
COLLEGE READY: 33%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 59%
# TAKING SAT: 480
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1347
# TAKING AP TESTS: 321
AP PASS RATE: 44%
Overcrowded but successful, this huge school is divided into academies. The law program, which has a courtroom, is named after a famous alum — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
47. Manhattan Bridges High School
525 West 50th St., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Recent immigrant, limited English
ENROLLMENT: 539
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 24
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 90%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 69%
COLLEGE READY: 9%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 48%
# TAKING SAT: 63
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1037
# TAKING AP TESTS: 68
AP PASS RATE: 85%
Caters to immigrants recently arrived from Spanish-speaking countries. Shares space in Park West HS complex. Seven APs.
48. High School of Economics and Finance
100 Trinity Place, Manhattan
ADMISSION: All NYC residents
ENROLLMENT: 807
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 27
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 89%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 80%
COLLEGE READY: 43%
COLLEGE ENROLLMENT: 78%
# TAKING SAT: 159
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1382
# TAKING AP TESTS: 95
AP PASS RATE: 43%
Strictly business at this Wall Street-area school, housed in an office building. Kids dress corporate-style on Wednesdays. Accounting, finance classes — some taught by industry pros.
49. High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology
350 67th St., Brooklyn
ADMISSION: Priority to Brooklyn students
ENROLLMENT: 1,297
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 30
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 91%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 76%
COLLEGE READY: 36%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 69%
# TAKING SAT: 221
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1361
# TAKING AP TESTS: 251
AP PASS RATE: 30%
Broad focus. Digital photography. computer graphics, forensic science, play production, statistics. Nine APs and Spanish. State-of-the-art auditorium. Lots of sports and clubs, popular chorus.
50. Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School
5800 20th Ave., BROOKLYN
ADMISSION: Brooklyn residents, zoned
ENROLLMENT: 3,412
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 27
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 85%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 55%
COLLEGE READY: 22%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 43%
# TAKING SAT: 392
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1249
# TAKING AP TESTS: 212
AP PASS RATE: 59%
Large, well-run school. A computer technology program awards Cisco certification in computer repair. Electives in forensics and robotics.