11. Beacon High School
227 W. 61st St., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Grades, test scores, interview, writing sample, portfolio
ENROLLMENT: 1,159
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 30
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 96%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 98%
COLLEGE READY: 76%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 82%
# TAKING SAT: 269
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1683
# TAKING AP TESTS: 142
AP PASS RATE: 75%
Creative school infused with arts and technology. One of 28 statewide exempt from Regents exams — students show achievement in portfolios. Four APs, classes at NYU, Fordham and CUNY. Older “Big Sibs” mentor 9th graders. Travel abroad. The city broke ground in August on a new state-of-the-art campus set to open in 2015.
12. Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences
1830 Shore Blvd., Brooklyn
ADMISSION: Grades, test scores, attendance
ENROLLMENT: 1,028
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 31
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 95%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 96%
COLLEGE READY: 84%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 86%
# TAKING SAT: 243
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1654
# TAKING AP TESTS: 400
AP PASS RATE: 65%
Supportive, well-rounded school with science labs, darkroom and gym on the leafy Kingsbridge Community College campus. Courses in discrete math, forensics, film, ornithology, astronomy, photography. College Now for seniors. Active in academic competitions and sports.
13. Baccalaureate School For Global Education
34-12 36th Ave., Queens
ADMISSION: Grades, test score, priority to continuing 8th graders
ENROLLMENT: 252
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 24
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 95%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 98%
COLLEGE READY: 97%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 90%
# TAKING SAT: 63
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1736
# TAKING AP TESTS: None; IB exams
Motivated kids in 7-12 school earn a prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma, accepted worldwide. College-level writing on topics such as Ecuadorian culture and “How to Make a Thermoelectric Cooler.” Travel and social work abroad. 100 hours of community service.
14. Millennium High School
75 Broad St., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Grades, test scores, priority to residents south of Houston
ENROLLMENT: 637
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 30
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 95%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 92%
COLLEGE READY: 81%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 88%
# TAKING SAT: 149
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1585
# TAKING AP TESTS: 91
AP PASS RATE: 86%
Small school in a high-rise near Wall Street. Students take core classes in grades 9 and 10, electives in 11 and 12. Advisers stay with student groups four years. Engaging courses on 20th century social movements, poetry in exile, New York stories, race in America. Six AP classes, plus Spanish and Mandarin. Drama and music after school.
15. Baruch College Campus High School
55 E. 25th St., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Grades, test scores; priority to District 2
ENROLLMENT: 438
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 30
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 97%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 99%
COLLEGE READY: 90%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 98%
# TAKING SAT: 107
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1640
# TAKING AP TESTS: 89
AP PASS RATE: 60%
Intense students take four years of English and two of writing, plus four of science and math, including calculus. Four years of art an option. Annual math confab. Six APs and credits from Baruch College. Nine athletic teams. Clubs for rap, writing, art, dance, drumming.
16. New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math High School (NEST+M)
111 Columbia St., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Entrance exam; priority to continuing 8th graders
ENROLLMENT: 557
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 26
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 94%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 95%
COLLEGE READY: 89%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 87%
# TAKING SAT: 123
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1630
# TAKING AP TESTS: 360
AP PASS RATE: 45%
Learning is fast-paced at the only cityide K-12 gifted school. Students may take two years of calculus, and electives like marine biology, Chinese history, Shakespeare, digital storytelling and ballroom dancing. Six languages include Latin, Russian and Mandarin. For a small school, it has many APs — 18 — plus courses at St. John’s University and Hunter College, and lab research at NYU.
17. High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies
350 Grand St., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Grades, test scores; priority to Manhattan students
ENROLLMENT: 339
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 21
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 98%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 92%
COLLEGE READY: 65%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 87%
# TAKING SAT: 82
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1289
# TAKING AP TESTS: 90
AP PASS RATE: 83%
Mandarin Chinese-speaking students learn to speak and write English, and vice versa. Shares the building and facilities — gyms, pool, cafeteria — with four other schools. Seven APs. Programs in history and the arts. Extended school days tutoring, SAT prep. Explore NYC club.
18. NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies
333 W. 17th St. Manhattan
ADMISSION: Grades, test scores; 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%
Sought-after, non-traditional school with a laidback vibe seminar-style instruction. One of 26 iZone schools trying online learning. Nine APs. Seniors undertake a yearlong project that culminates in an “oral defense” before faculty. Students work independently with support. Many activities, sports.
19. Brooklyn Latin School
325 Bushwick Ave., Brooklyn
ADMISSION: SHSAT exam
ENROLLMENT: 336
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 29
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 95%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 91%
COLLEGE READY: 91%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 96%
# TAKING SAT: 34
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1750
# TAKING AP TESTS: None; IB exams
Everyone takes four years of Latin in this small, rigorous but nurturing school, described as feeling like an “English boarding school,” on the top floor of PS 47 in East Williamsburg, Students don’t take AP exams, but earn a prestigious International Baccaluarete diploma. A classic education heavy on liberal arts. Socratic seminars. Emphasis on public speaking. Community service a must. Yoga, drama, dance.
20. Benjamin N. Cardozo High School
57-00 223rd St., Queens
ADMISSION: Queens residents
ENROLLMENT: 4,063
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 31
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 92%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 83%
COLLEGE READY: 56%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 72%
# TAKING SAT: 777
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1540
# TAKING AP TESTS: 664
AP PASS RATE: 71%
One of the best large schools, extremely popular and overcrowded. Bright students seek seats in the Da Vinci Math and Science Institute, which cultivates Intel Science contenders, and the Law and Humanities Institute. Top-notch arts classes and 19 APs. A Weill Cornell Medical School scholars program and Saturday science seminar among activities. Kids find niches in 70 after-school clubs, and play on 33 sports teams.
21. Bard High School Early College II
30-20 Thomson Ave., Queens
ADMISSION: Artist talent
ENROLLMENT: 528
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 21
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 96%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 93%
COLLEGE READY: 91%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 96%
# TAKING SAT: 54
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1659
# TAKING AP TESTS: None
Like peers at Manhattan sister school, grads leave with a high school diploma and associate degree. Seniors do science research with professors. Latin, Chinese or Spanish languages. Cheerful space in office building, shared with two other small high schools, offers dance studios, art room, theater, exercise rooms. Few extracurriculars, several sports.
22. Midwood High School
2839 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn
ADMISSION: Grades, test scores, attendance
ENROLLMENT: 3,986
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 32
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 92%
DOE GRADE: C
GRADUATION RATE: 83%
COLLEGE READY: 61%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 83%
# TAKING SAT: 791
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1502
# TAKING AP TESTS: 702
AP PASS RATE: 63%
Popular, overcrowded school with two selective institutes — medical science and humanities. Sends finalists to the Intel Science Talent Search. A third program serves zoned kids who choose from four courses of study: law, pre-engineering, performing arts, or communications. Strong on drama and music. Sixteen APs. Courtroom, robotics lab and TV studio.
23. Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School
160-20 Goethals Ave., Queens
ADMISSION: Grades,test scores, priority to continuing 8th graders
ENROLLMENT: 450
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 29
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 97%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 96%
COLLEGE READY: 83%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 90%
# TAKING SAT: 92
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1577
# TAKING AP TESTS: 154
AP PASS RATE: 44%
Rigorous 6-12 school “with a private flair” focuses on health careers. The new building is next to Queens Hospital, with a library that students use for research, volunteer opportunities and internships. Hard-working students learn in cardiovascular and DNA labs, and a mock doctor’s office with patient table. Seven APs and College Now. Few sports but many clubs.
24. Academy of American Studies
28-04 41st Ave., Queens
ADMISSION: Grades, test scores; priority to Queens students
ENROLLMENT: 684
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 30
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 93%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 85%
COLLEGE READY: 55%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 81%
# TAKING SAT: 137
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1484
# TAKING AP TESTS: 113
AP PASS RATE: 59%
Trace family roots and visit historic sites like Gettysburg and Plymouth for research at this creative small school in a former sewing machine factory. Everyone takes three years of American history. Eleven APs and college-credit at LaGuardia Community College and St. John’s University. Founded in 1996 with support from The Gilder Lehrman Institute. Lots of field trips within NYC.
25. Frederick Douglass Academy
2581 7th Ave., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Grades, test scores, priority to continuing 8th graders
ENROLLMENT: 1,135
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 28
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 90%
DOE GRADE: C
GRADUATION RATE: 89%
COLLEGE READY: 58%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 81%
# TAKING SAT: 190
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1423
# TAKING AP TESTS: 162
AP PASS RATE: 68%
Distinguished 6-12 school with strict rules and opportunities galore, including worldwide travel. Offers 12 APs and four languages, including Latin and Japanese, Reel Works filmmaking class, famous samba band, robotics, new pre-engineering program with CUNY. Karate, lacrosse and fencing among 20 sports.
26. Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics
260 Pleasant Ave., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Merit, priority to students at Isaac Newton Middle School for Math & Science
ENROLLMENT: 1,711
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 31
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 94%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 89%
COLLEGE READY: 62%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 76%
# TAKING SAT: 349
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1449
# TAKING AP TESTS: 319
AP PASS RATE: 64%
Challenging courses in a close-knit school focus on math, science and liberal arts. Twelve APs, plus Spanish, French and Mandarin. Horticulture on the rooftop greenhouse and a Moodle Mega Math Club. International exchange program. Students work with Mt. Sinai Hospital research scientists and GE engineers. Projects such as “Light-Dependent Locomotion Study on Amoeba Proteus Using Confocal Microscopy,” and “The Epidemiology of Escherichia coli in the U.S. from 1982 to Now.” State-of-the-art labs.
27. Francis Lewis High School
58-20 Utopia Pkwy., Queens
ADMISSION: Zoned and screened
ENROLLMENT: 4,211
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 31
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 92%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 80%
COLLEGE READY: 52%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 68%
# TAKING SAT: 920
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1461
# TAKING AP TESTS: 787
AP PASS RATE: 59%
Overcrowded due to popularity, Queens kids cram into this school for a huge academic menu and 30 sports teams that rouse spirit. Special programs in law, health science, forensics, engineering, art, drama and music. Twenty-one APs, eight languages. Big Junior ROTC program. Broadway-style show (“Legally Blonde” last year), concerts. More than 100 clubs.
28. HS for Environmental Studies
444 W. 56th St., Manhattan
ADMISSION: Grades, test scores, attendance
ENROLLMENT: 1,429
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 28
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 90%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 80%
COLLEGE READY: 47%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 76%
# TAKING SAT: 266
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1400
# TAKING AP TESTS: 227
AP PASS RATE: 67%
Earth, oceans and wildlife get top billing in this school. A nonprofit raises funds for class trips and the summer outdoor internships on nature preserves in 19 states. Tenth graders intern at Bronx Zoo and parks. Ten APs, three languages, arts, sports, ceramics, ecology club and hiking.
29. Scholars’ Academy
320 Beach 104TH St., Queens
ADMISSION: Priority to continuing 8th graders
ENROLLMENT: 402
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 28
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 95%
DOE GRADE: A
GRADUATION RATE: 100%
COLLEGE READY: 90%
# TAKING SAT: 96
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1562
# TAKING AP TESTS: 96
AP PASS RATE: 36%
Demanding 6-12 school on Rockaway Penninsula. Students complete most Regents requirements by the end of 10th grade, then choose among 10 AP courses, three online; apply for internships; and earn college credit at St. Francis College. Variety of activities and clubs, from Lego robotics to fencing.
30. Benjamin Banneker Academy
71-77 Clinton Ave., Brooklyn
ADMISSION: Grades, test scores; priority to local students
ENROLLMENT: 832
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 28
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE: 90%
DOE GRADE: B
GRADUATION RATE: 90%
COLLEGE READY: 64%
COLLEGE
ENROLLMENT: 72%
# TAKING SAT: 141
AVERAGE TOTAL SAT SCORE: 1441
# TAKING AP TESTS: 137
AP PASS RATE: 41%
Challenging school with themes that honor African-American artists and leaders. Students choose from programs in pre-engineering, pre-medicine, humanities and media communications. Nine APs, French and Spanish. Housed in a renovated former cake factory in Clinton Hill.