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Our Insights

What’s Special

Art, drama and dance

The Downside

Low attendance

DreamYard Prep offers art, drama, music and dance as well as an extended school day and paid internships for students. The small school was founded by DreamYard Project, Inc., a not-for-profit arts-education group, in the Taft Educational complex in 2006.

The tiny school, which has struggled over the years, made so much progress that The New York Times featured it as a success story. “I think we’re at a pivotal point,” Principal Alicia Wargo told The Times. “We’re not exactly where we want to be, but we have made steady progress and gains every year.”

Teachers say the school is orderly and the principal is an effective leader, according to reponses to the annual NYC School Survey. The graduation rate and attendance still have a ways to go, however.

“Students pick a major at the end of their sophomore year and spend two 90-minute blocks each week studying theater, visual arts, music or dance,” The Times reported. DreamYard and its partner organizations pay students minimum wage for internships. (Clara Hemphill, newspaper reports, August 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?
 
91%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
73%
How many English language learners graduate in 4 years?
 
94%
Average daily attendance
 
83%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
46%
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?
 
83%
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide and 2022-23 NYC School Survey

Students

294
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
100%
Students with disabilities
 
29%
Multilingual learners
 
16%
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?
 
87%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
45%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
28%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
88%
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
84%
1.2
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
108
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 191
How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
54%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2022-23 NYC School Survey, 2022-23 School Quality Guide, 2021-22 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2023 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 2021-21

Computer Science

 
9%

Physics

Not offered in 2021-21

Advanced Foreign Language

Not offered in 2021-21

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

Not offered in 2021-21

AP/IB Math or Science

 
9%

Music

Not offered in 2021-21
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?
 
49%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
56%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
32%
From the 2020-21 and 2022-23 School Quality Guide

How many graduates who are eligible received Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funding to attend a NYS college?
 
55%
This shows how well this school supports low-income students to get funding for college.
How many of those TAP recipients made it through college? Learn more
From unpublished, anonymized student-level data for the class of 2016-17 provided by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) in coordination with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), brought to you by
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
72%
From the 2022-23 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought to you by Visit Understanding FAFSA for help with the FAFSA and financial aid.
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

DreamYard Preparatory School (Y21A)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Program Description:

Students will take arts classes each year of high school. In 9th and 10th Grades, students take an Arts Elective Class each semester in Choral Music, Dance, Theater, or Visual Arts. In 11th and 12th grades, students choose a major in one of these areas. Each semester, students are expected to participate in an arts exhibition or performance. Students with a strong interest in the arts can participate in summer intensives in their area of choice.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Psychology, AP Spanish Language and Culture, AP United States Government and Politics, Econ/Gov (Advanced Placement), Physics (Advanced Science)

Boys PSAL teams

Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Soccer, Volleyball, Wrestling

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Cross Country, Flag Football, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Softball, Volleyball

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

240 East 172 Street
Bronx NY 10457

Trains: 4 Line to Mt Eden Av; B Line, D Line to 170th St

Buses: Bx1, Bx11, Bx15, Bx18, Bx2, Bx32, Bx35, Bx41, Bx41-SBS, BxM4


Contact

Principal: Anthony Santiago

Parent Coordinator: Nydia Jimenez

Phone: 718-410-4242

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the Taft Educational Campus with five other schools

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? Yes

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