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Our Insights

What’s Special

Theater program that goes beyond acting

The Downside

Metal detectors; some safety concerns in common areas

One of five small schools in the South Shore Educational Complex in Canarsie, Brooklyn Theater Arts High School has a humanities focus along with a Career and Technical Education program in theater. The school partners with Roundabout Theater Co.

Students have the opportunity to perform in two productions—a musical and a drama—every year. The school also offers classes in directing and other behind-the-stage theater skills. Many students take visual art, and the school provides extracurricular arts and theater-related activities including trips to performances. Students have the opportunity to travel to another country over the summer.

The school’s Quality Review report praises the school for its “safe, inclusive culture.” Students told the reviewer that the theater arts, which are used to probe sensitive topics such as race and gentrification, fostered the welcoming climate. School staff have said that theater serves to engage and interest students.

Although many enter with relatively low standardized test scores, Theater Arts has seen strong improvement in its graduation rate, which now is above the city average. Many students, though, graduate without being ready to do college work, a situation the school is focused on remedying. For high-performing students it offers a few Advanced Placement classes.

Theater Arts offers a number of supports, including a summer Bridge program for incoming 9th graders, small-group tutoring and a Saturday academy. To help them acclimate to high school, all 9th graders attend small group sessions led by high performing juniors and seniors.

Attendance, though, remains a problem, and a sizable percentage of students say they do not feel safe in the school’s common areas. That may arise partly from the school’s location at South Shore, which has had a history of safety issues. The campus is not near any subway lines and, to enter the building, students must go through metal detectors.

After several years where principals came and went with regularity, David Ward has been in the post since 2012.  (Gail Robinson, DOE reports and interview, October 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?
 
80%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
82%
Average daily attendance
 
81%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
67%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
100%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
100%
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide and 2022-23 NYC School Survey

Students

210
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
83%
Students with disabilities
 
27%
Multilingual learners
 
6%
From the 2022-23 Demographic Snapshot

Safety & Vibe

School
Citywide
How many students were suspended?
 
1%
How many students say they feel safe in the hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?
 
77%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
58%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
34%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
50%
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?
 
50%
11.1
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
70
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?
 
88%
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

Not offered in 2021-21

Physics

Not offered in 2021-21

Advanced Foreign Language

Not offered in 2021-21

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
67%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
16%

Music

 
0%
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?
 
20%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
21%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
34%
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?
 
44%
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?
 
51%
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

Theater Arts (L33A)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

French

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP English Language and Composition, World Languages (Advanced World Languages)

Boys PSAL teams

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

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Handball, 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

6565 Flatlands Avenue
Brooklyn NY 11236

Buses: B103, B47, B6, B82, B82-SBS, BM2


Contact

Principal: David Ward

Parent Coordinator: Brian Holness

Phone: 718-968-1072

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares the South Shore Educational Campus with five other schools

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? Yes

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