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Our Insights

What’s Special

Internships, high expectations and support give students a second chance; students have a lot of autonomy

The Downside

Some students may need a more conventional routine

Known as one of the nation’s leading experiential learning model for high school students, City-As-School offers nontraditional academics for struggling students, combining regular classwork with off-site internships. It serves all kinds of students, including those who have struggled at high-performing schools, are coping with depression and anxiety, or who have floundered at schools that neither met their needs nor tapped into their strengths and interests. Those who attend enjoy liberation from much of the burden of testing, have lots of autonomy and gain valuable experience through internships.  

City-As-School is part of the New York Performance Standards Consortium, a network of small high schools that are exempt from administering all but the English Regents exam. To graduate, students must complete in-depth portfolios in English, math, science and history that consist of a research paper and oral defense of their work. Students also complete a graduation portfolio that involves a personal essay, career plan and a completed college application.

Described by The New York Times as a “forerunner in New York City” for alternative schools, City-As-School earned top marks on its most recent Quality Review in all areas, including instruction, setting high standards and school culture.  Students build their own program by choosing courses such as Issues in Immigration, Introduction to Business and Mythology and the Modern World, according to the school's annual Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP). They may take courses for free at colleges throughout New York City, as well as at cultural institutions such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music; another option is to craft their own independent study. All classes are ungraded, meaning that if a student fulfills all of the requirements for a class, she earns credit for it but not a grade.

Students also choose from a generous range of internships, working at places like the American Museum of Natural History, Marvel Comics and the Manhattan Borough President’s Office. They generally spend 16 to 32 hours at their internships each week.

There are several full-time staffers who are part of the guidance team, including social workers, school psychologists and guidance counselors. Additionally, the school has a substance abuse prevention and intervention specialist and a LYFE center, which provides free childcare and education to the babies and young children of students.

The college office organizes and provides one-on-one advising, college and career-related field trips and fairs, visits from college representatives, college and career classes, career panels, SAT review, and help with writing essays and résumés.

After school, students may participate in extracurricular activities like urban farming, mindfulness, and rowing on the Hudson River.

Located in Greenwich Village, City-As-School shares a building with P.S. M721, Manhattan Occupational Training Center, which is part of District 75, the citywide district for students with severe disabilities.  (Katie Safter, via web reports and school website, July 2018; updated August 2020)

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School Stats

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

Academics

School
Citywide
Transfer school graduation rate
 
76%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
72%
How many English language learners graduate in 4 years?
 
70%
From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide and 2020-21 NYC School Survey

Students

604
Number of students
Citywide Average is 599

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
73%
Students with disabilities
 
35%
Multilingual learners
 
5%
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?
 
93%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
37%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
20%
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?
 
59%
3.6
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
121
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?
 
95%
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

Not offered in 2019-20

Computer Science

Not offered in 2019-20

Physics

Not offered in 2019-20

Advanced Foreign Language

Not offered in 2019-20

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
14%

AP/IB Math or Science

Not offered in 2019-20

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?
 
16%
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?
 
28%
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

City-As-School (A43A)

Admissions Method: Transfer

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

Latin, Spanish

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), Chemistry (Advanced Science), Physics (Advanced Science), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

16 Clarkson Street
Manhattan NY 10014

Trains: 1 Line to Houston St; A Line, B Line, D Line, F Line, M Line to West 4th St; C Line, E Line to Spring St

Buses: M11, M20, M21, M55, M8, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM33, SIM33C, SIM34, SIM3C, SIM4C, SIM7, SIM9, X27, X28


Contact

Principal: Rachel Seher

Parent Coordinator: Joselyn Pena-Phillips

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares a building with a District 75 program, P.S. M721- Manhattan Occupational Training Center

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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