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Our Insights

What’s Special

Successful Spanish bilingual instruction for new immigrants and strong STEM programs

The Downside

Shared space in building with metal detectors

Manhattan Bridges is a small high school located in Hell’s Kitchen that caters to immigrants recently arrived from Spanish-speaking countries. The school is committed to assisting students in maintaining the richness of their native language while teaching English so as to best equip them to navigate our current multicultural world. For example, the Repertorio Español theater class teaches Latin American and Spanish cultural themes so students may learn about their cultural identity.

Opened in September 2003, the school has consistently received top marks from the Department of Education for its success in taking in students who may not be well prepared for high school and graduating them on time. The school fosters a strong college-readiness culture and teachers are committed to helping students achieve at high levels. It is a regular diploma-granting school serving grades 9 to 12, not a transfer school for older students.

There are many extracurricular options available for students, with clubs ranging from yoga and dance to chess and robotics. There are soccer and baseball teams for boys and volleyball for girls.

After-school career exploration programs are offered in areas such as engineering, law enforcement, business, law and architecture. The school has a job-shadowing program and field trips to organizations such as American Express, ESPN and NBC to bolster career development, according to the yearly education plan. All 12th-grade students are paired with an online mentor and are placed in weekly advisory groups to learn about the college process and receive comprehensive career advice.

In 2009, Manhattan Bridges established the Academies of Engineering and Information Technology. At the end of their high school career, students may graduate with industry certifications, which are confirmations of competency in a given field and can be helpful when students are applying for jobs.

Teachers say the school is orderly and praise principal Mirza Sanchez Medina as an effective manager, according to the school’s 2015 quality report. In 2013, Mirza was recognized by the New York–based publication “Latino American Who’s Who” as a leading Latina professional.

U.S. News & World Report gave Manhattan Bridges a gold medal in 2018 for college readiness and student performance on state-mandated tests. Students take the Regents exams and regularly meet or exceed standards for Regents performance. In addition, students have high participation and pass rates for AP exams. Students also have the opportunity to participate in College Now, a partnership between CUNY and public high schools that allows high school students to receive high school or college credit for taking CUNY college classes.

Parents are supportive and engaged, as demonstrated by the high turnout rates at parent events. The parent coordinator makes sure parents are updated with important information. The school also offers English-instruction lessons for parents and has meetings in both English and Spanish. Parents are also given the opportunity to participate in citizenship workshops, technology classes and cultural trips.

Past students have gone on to attend public city and state colleges as well as private universities such as Cornell, Fordham, NYU, Barnard and Bard.

The school is housed in the Park West Educational Complex, sharing the building with a number of other small schools. Though students must pass through metal detectors, most report feeling safe in the building. All the schools in the bulding share use of the cafeteria, gym, auditorium and library.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: There are not many students with disabilities at the school. Those who do attend receive additional help from special education teachers who work with subject teachers to give students the accommodations they need. The majority of students with disabilities graduate in four years with a Regents diploma, as stated in the school’s yearly comprehensive education plan. (Isabel Corpus, DOE statistics and web reports, May 2018)

 

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School Stats

Citywide Average Key
This school is Better Near Worse than the citywide average

Academics

School
Citywide
How many students graduate in 4 years?
 
92%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
91%
How many English language learners graduate in 4 years?
 
91%
Average daily attendance
 
87%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
42%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
86%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
100%
From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide and 2020-21 NYC School Survey

Students

458
Number of students
Citywide Average is 599

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
95%
Students with disabilities
 
11%
Multilingual learners
 
38%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
0%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
92%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
28%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
22%
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
90%
3.7
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
162
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 157

Teachers’ Race/Ethnicity


How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
88%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey, 2021-22 School Quality Guide, 2019-20 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2021 Guidance Counselor Report, and this school's most recent Quality Review Report

Advanced Courses

Which students have access to advanced courses at this school? Learn more

Calculus

 
10%

Computer Science

 
17%

Physics

 
15%

Advanced Foreign Language

 
36%

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
47%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
28%

Music

Not offered in 2019-20
From unpublished, anonymized data from the 2021-22 school year provided by the New York State Education Department, brought to you by

College Readiness

School
Citywide
How many students graduate with test scores high enough to enroll at CUNY without remedial help?
 
73%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
82%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
86%
From the 2020-21 and 2021-22 School Quality Guide
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
81%
From the 2022-23 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought you by
For more information about our data sources, see About Our Data · More DOE statistics for this school

Programs & Admissions

From the 2024 High School Directory

Academy of Computer Science and Graphic Design (Bilingual) (M57B)

Admissions Method: Screened: Language & Academics

Program Description:

This program prepares students to apply computer science and design of digital media in any career. This academy provides an advanced series of coursework, including Adobe Suite and Advanced Placement Computer Science. Successful completion of the program leads to the Adobe Certification. Students participate in internships, Hackathons, visits to tech companies, coding workshops, mentorships, and college credit-bearing courses. Students may be able to complete coursework in Cyber Security.

Bilingual Spanish Pre-Engineering (M57C)

Admissions Method: Screened: Language & Academics

Program Description:

This NAF academy uses the Project Leads the Way (PLTW) curriculum, and offers a strong foundation in applied math and science, training in the field of engineering, senior internships, and possible opportunities to take AP and credit-bearing college courses. Successful completion of program could lead to Autodesk Inventor and Revit User and Professional certifications. Successful completion of program could lead to nine college credits from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Dual Language Spanish Pre-Engineering (M57D)

Admissions Method: Screened: Language & Academics

Program Description:

This NAF academy uses the Project Leads the Way (PLTW) curriculum, and offers a strong foundation in applied math and science, training in the field of engineering, senior internships, and possible opportunities to take AP and credit-bearing college courses. Successful completion of program could lead to Autodesk Inventor and Revit User and Professional certifications. Successful completion of program could lead to nine college credits from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Academy of Computer Science and Graphic Design (Dual Language) (M57E)

Admissions Method: Screened: Language & Academics

Program Description:

This program prepares students to apply computer science and design of digital media in any career. This academy provides an advanced series of coursework, including Adobe Suite and Advanced Placement Computer Science. Successful completion of the program leads to the Adobe Certification. Students participate in internships, Hackathons, visits to tech companies, coding workshops, mentorships, and college credit-bearing courses. Students may be able to complete coursework in Cyber Security.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

Spanish

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Language and Composition, AP Physics 1, AP Psychology, AP Spanish Language and Culture, AP Spanish Literature and Culture, AP Statistics, AP United States History, Chemistry (Advanced Science), Comp Sci/Math Tech (College Course [Credited]), Physics (Advanced Science), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)

Boys PSAL teams

Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Volleyball

Read about admissions, academics, and more at this school on NYCDOE’s MySchools

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

525 West 50Th Street
Manhattan NY 10019

Trains: C Line, E Line to 50th St

Buses: M104, M11, M12, M20, M31, M34A-SBS, M42, M50, M57


Contact

Principal: George Lock

Parent Coordinator: Gladys Garcia

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Park West Educational Campus with four other schools

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? Yes

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