Choosing a High School in New York City

I remember being in the eight grade in my junior high school in Queens in New York City and I sat at my desk, pouring over review books and trying to decide which High School to attend. Attending the high school that is right for you is important because it leads you to college. I will break down several different colleges in both academics, music, and sports and help you decide on where to go for high school.

Starting with academics, the main three specialized high schools that have been around for the better part of the last century are Peter Stuyvesant High school, The Bronx High School of Science, and Brooklyn Technical. These three schools are the most popular, most recognizable, and most well known schools in New York City and are known all over the United States. These three schools you need to take a special exam given around December that contains a math and reading section. You get the results of the exam in February. If you are interested in taking the exam, you usually need a permission slip from your guidance counselor or go to the administration in your school. You can also ask your school for permission to take the exam. The school must know who is taking the exam so that they can register you at the special test center in Manhattan or Queens where you will be taking the exam. At the test center, thousands of students take the exam hoping to make one of these schools but it is quite difficult and there aren't that many spots open compared to the thousands of students who apply for the exam. On the exam, you will have to rank your preferences for being accepted into one of these schools. The school's have their own score that students must reach on their exam. Stuyvesant has the highest score and is the hardest to get into. The difficulty is followed by Bronx Science and then Brooklyn Technical. Most students usually take a test prep course like Kaplan to prepare for the difficult exam. You can also take out review books for the test. All three of these schools are very hard to get into and only want the best and brightest students. Once you get in, the work load is very demanding with homework and class work given every night. Students are expected to come to school early in the morning usually by 8:30 and leave around 4 pm. Anyone from New York City can attend one of these schools and many students commute to school everyday by bus, car or train. All three of these schools all have a wide range of sports teams such as basketball, soccer, fencing, baseball, tennis, and much more. The facilities are all in top notch condition and they receive a lot of private funding.

Another top academic school is Townsend Harris in Queens. Townsend Harris is located on the Queens College campus and is also very challenging academically. While there is no test to gain admissions into the school, they do factor in a students grade point average and they have to submit a writing sample to the school. Most students need to have around a 95 average to get into the school. Like the other three schools I have mentioned, the schools have long hours and tough courses.
The fifth borough of New York City that many people forget about is Staten Island. Not to be left out of having its own specialized school, Staten Island Tech is also a very smart school and is hard to get into. However, most people including myself would not put it in the same category as Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Technical, or Townsend Harris. Its prestige lacks and usually only students from Staten Island attend the school. Staten Island Tech focuses on math and science skills as well as architecture, and drawing. The class sizes are smaller and most students know one another.

For students who play instruments or love singing and dancing Louis Armstrong High School might be the place for you. Considered the premier high school for the arts, Louis Armstrong lives up to its reputation. Students learn to hone their passion and excel and singing and playing the instruments of their choice. Music is the most focused area in the school but their other departments are also tough academically and a lot of work is needed in both classes and music studies. To get into the school you need to take a visit there and display your singing, dancing or ability to play an instrument. Thousands of students apply but very few get accepted. Class sizes are small which helps instructors focus on each individual child and help them exceed.

The final specialized school I would like to talk about is The Bacholoriat School for the Gifted. This is a relatively new school that just opened last year in the fall of 2004. Class sizes are the smallest of any school I have discussed at the entire grade is less than 100 students. The school holds grades 7 through 12 so it is a combination of a junior high school and high school. Because of the extremely small class sizes, every student gets to know everyone in the grade and teachers also get to know their students very well. Each teacher is able to meet every student in a one-on one meeting to help them academically. The school is a little short when it comes to sports. There are not any sports teams that students can join. There are several small clubs but that is all. The admissions process for the school is also very unique. The school administers a special exam given at the school. To get in, they take the students with the highest scores on the exam. In addition, every applicant is required to set up an interview meeting with the school. Parents are not allowed in the interview but are allowed afterwards to sit it. The interview plays a large role as the school decides if they like the student enough to admit him.

If you are unable to get accepted into any of these schools or don't want to attend, the local high school is the next best option. Many local schools are excellent in any of these areas and are good places to get an education.