5. Brooklyn Schools

This blog first appeared in 2006, updated in 2017 and again in 2020.

Prospect Heights HS

Girls HS

An earlier version of my blog asked readers to name ten Brooklyn high schools that were in existence in 1960. Who knew that other Brooklyn bloggers would latch on to this? Who knew there were so many Brooklyn high schools?

Lincoln H.S.

Tilden HS.  Notice any similarity? Hit on a decent design and stick with it

Anyway, here's the list,  semi-geographically: Thomas Dewey, Lincoln, Sheepshead Bay, Lafayette, Hamilton, New Utrecht, Madison, Midwood, Prospect Heights, Erasmus Hall, Wingate, Tilden, South Shore, Canarsie, Jefferson, Bushwick, Boys, Girls, Clara Barton, Brooklyn Tech, Roosevelt. OK, we'll throw in Wm. H. Maxwell Automotive and Grady VHS. And, I'll allow half of Franklin K. Lane - the half in Brooklyn.

                     FK Lane HS.  The City sure knew how to build imposing schools.  The left side of the school is in         Brooklyn. The right side is in an area referred to as Queens.

Let's fast-forward fifty years: A number of the larger (read that 'under performing') high schools have been divided into smaller specialty schools, with names that must have been a creative writing assignment:

• Erasmus is referred to as Erasmus Campus: Hospitality & Tourism, Business/Tec, Humanities; HS for Service and Learning; HS for Youth and Community Development. 

Now this was a school, built around a real campus,with close to 5000 students.

• Thomas Jefferson is: HS of Civil Rights; FDNY HS for Fire and Life Safety; Performing Arts and Technology HS; World Academy for Total Community Health School)

Can someone please tell me how the curriculum differs?

TJefferson HS: Three killings inside the school did not help its reputation nor did its new name: Life Safety.

• Wingate International Arts and Business High School/High School for Public Service Heroes of Tomorrow (Wow, I'd like to see what this looks like on a sweat shirt!). One of its mini schools with 330 students achieved recent notoriety: Over 300 student suspensions in one year.  In all fairness, some of the suspendees  were repeat offenders, but still... Seems the DOE is looking into the matter.  Why? Some of the Heroes of Tomorrow may have to transfer.

• International HS at Prospect Heights. 

• Dewey High School for Service and Learning; 

Hold on a second. You going to tell me that by the time a kid gets to high school he has to be told - or reminded of - the purpose of a high school? and to include it in the school's name? Picture the consultants who were hired by the Department of Education to come up with these names.  "Mr. Mayor, we've run out of adjectives and possible occupations.  Can we just call a school "Learning"?  "How about 'Big Building of Learning and Preparation For What's Next"?  I'm thinking where this could have led years ago.  For example:  My first car was a Plymouth Car for Driving.  Gee, all these years I thought it was a planter.

And, by now you know that Tilden was shuttered and reopened as several smaller schools within the same building.

Here's one you may not recognize: P.Tech High School which is the former Paul Robeson High School which was the former Alexander Hamilton High School. (There's your answer to the prior question.)

Several of the older schools have also reinvented themselves:
Canarsie International High School, 

(Wait a minute!  Can you picture jets landing on the roof?)

William Grady Career and Tech Educ HS; Bushwick HS for Social Justice. 

Several new schools have joined the roster:
W.E.B.DuBois, Edward R. Morrow, Medger Evers, Rachel Carson HS for Coastal Studies, Leon M Goldstein HS for the Sciences, Harry Van Arsdale. And, Sunset Park High School. See below

Sunset Park HS.  It may have classes, but not much in the way of class.

Boys High School and Girls High School have been combined into one (What happened to the possessive apostrophe?)
Girls High School (the building) is now Brooklyn Adult Training Center. 

And New Utricht? No word.

If you've been out of Brooklyn for a while these will throw you:

• High School for Youth and Community Development 
• Brooklyn High School for Science and Environment
• International Arts Business School 
• Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment 
• HS for Global Citizenship, 
• HS of Telecommunication Arts & Technology
• Brooklyn HS of the Arts
• South Brooklyn Community HS
• HS for Enterprise and Technology
• HS of Telecommunications
• Pacific HS
• Brooklyn HS for Music & Theatre. 

Not all schools have changed their names: Still unchanged.

Midwood HS

Madison HS

Again, these are just Brooklyn public high schools. Let me know if I omitted your's.

Junior high schools have not escaped the re-naming craze. The junior high schools are now intermediate schools, having paused for a while as middle schools, grades 6, 7, 8. Does the 2- or 3- year SP still exist?

                                                Winthrop Junior High School on the day before it officially opened.  

Winthrop Junior High School became IS 232 and housed grades,6,7,and 8.  That, in itself would be hard enough to take, but, check this out:
                       As of 2009-2010  IS 232 Winthrop was closed. 

Read the following blurb which might explain why:

According to a June 2004 press release from the NYC Department of Education, Principal Edward Hawkins is one of 45 public school principals being removed from their positions for poor performance this year. The press release states that 'all of the principals had received or were in danger of receiving unsatisfactory ratings in their performance evaluations.'  Mr. Hawkins will return to a position he previously held within the Department, according to the DOE.

Welcome  back, Ed

Too little; too late. Obviously, not much changed in the next five years. The school died a slow death. In its last year, the school, built in 1930 for 3000 students, had a total of 513 students consisting of 96% black and 4% Hispanic with 27 teachers.

But all is not lost.  The school has reopened as two smaller schools:

• East Flatbush Community Research School and
• Middle School of Marketing and Legal Studies.

Obviously, the latter does not practice what it teaches - there is no website.

Does anyone out there know what is taught to seventh graders regarding marketing or legal studies that isn't, or couldn't be, taught to all seventh graders?

And, for you Somers alumni, check this out:

I.S. 252 Arthur S. Sommers creates opportunities for all students to become responsible and productive citizens. Students participate in physical education, health, music, art, library and technology programs that are also an exciting part of each student’s instruction. This school is committed to providing a well rounded curriculum designed to meet the needs and interests of our students. In addition, its curriculum it’s supported by a variety of opportunities for involvement in extra-curricular activities in athletics, the arts, clubs and service organizations. Success would not be possible without the support of the community. I.S. 252 has very active organizations that support our schools and continually encourage parents to become involved in numerous school committees that address school improvement issues. Throughout the curriculum at all grades, an emphasis is placed on fostering an appreciation of language and literature to promote life-long learning.

Arthur Sylvester Somers would be so proud.

However, "This school has been closed or merged with another school due to poor performance. For school records, please call the Department of Education." 2010

Arthur would be so sad!

You Meyer Levin alumni, don't start gloating over your beloved school. Here are 2015 statistics that will sober you up:

• 27% of its students met state standards in the State English test.
• 13% met state standards in the State Math test.

Did you know that there are more than 17,000 students in District 18?  If you lived in East Flatbush your school was in District 18.

One more statistic regarding your beloved school district: 63% of District 18 teachers responding in a state mandated survey say they trust their principal (82% city-wide.)

Closer to home, remember when elementary schools were known by just their numbers? Most now also have names:

• 135 - Sheldon A. Brookner
• 208 - Elsa Ebeling
• 219 - Kennedy-King
• 233 - Langston Hughes
• 235 - The Lenox School (my elementary school)
• 244 - Richard R. Green

Some sample student demographics*:

• Tilden: 2095 Black, 143 Hispanic, 13 Asian, 13 White
• IS 285 (Meyer Levin): 975 Black, 37 Hispanic, 6 Asian, 6 White
• 135: 747 Black, 30 Hispanic, 1 Asian, 11 White
• 233: 755 Black, 39 Hispanic, 1 Asian, 6 White
• 244: 1027 Black, 28 Hispanic, 4 Asian, 8 White

*courtesy NYC Department of Education 2006


We'll move on to some other topics. But first, while we're on this school thing...
Capitalization hint: high school is capitalized if it is part of the school's name: Erasmus Hall High School or if 'high' is the first word in a sentence (High school was fun. I went to Tilden High School, but: 'I went to high school.')

Also: You graduated FROM high school; not 'I graduated high school.' The school graduated you (in most cases.)
(Sorry; I couldn't resist. I feel better already!)