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Our Insights

What’s Special

Individual support and an opportunity for paid internships

The Downside

Limited course selection

Brooklyn Frontiers is designed to help students who have been held back at least twice in elementary or middle school, as well as current high schoolers with a minimum of one year at another school who want to transfer. This school offers students a second chance by providing lots of individualized support, small classes, and the opportunity for paid internships. The school welcomes new immigrants throughout the year.

Academics & Instruction: Class sizes range from 16 to 20 students, ensuring lots of individual attention. Many classes are co-taught, with both a special education and general education teacher in the room. Instead of lecturing from the front, teachers group tables to foster discussion. Students have the opportunity to meet with teachers during lunch or afterschool in a small group setting, to receive homework help or finish classwork. Advanced placement courses in computer science are popular for students who want more challenges although not all enrolled students go on to take the AP test. Other AP courses have included psychology and environmental science. Course selection is limited due to the school's small size.

The school uses competency-based grading, which tracks when a student has mastered a topic, rather than assigning a letter grade on individual assignments. A progress report is labeled “O” for on-track, “B” for border (partially on-track), and “C” for concern. Students receive weekly progress reports, and participate in meetings at least once a trimester to ensure they are on track for graduation.

Culture & Environment: The school is tiny. Students are on a first-name basis with their teachers. There is a strong emphasis placed on building community and personal relationships between students, teachers and staff. Good Shepherd Services, a social services organization, provides students with coaches who meet with them individually to talk about academics, personal concerns, and future plans. Coaches reach out to students that are absent or late to school. Teens meet in group settings with an adult once a week for advisory sessions. 

Special Education & English as a New Language: Roughly half the students enrolled receive special education services. The school has SETSS (special education teacher support services) and ICT (integrated co-teaching) classes. Faculty develop individualized learning plans for all students, regardless of whether they have an IEP (individualized education plan). Many special education techniques, such as scaffolding–which involves breaking learning into manageable steps and providing support at each stage–are applied to all students that demonstrate need. 

Since 2023, the school has welcomed a growing number of newcomer students from countries such as Guinea in West Africa, and from South America. It is actively building its services for newcomers, including providing toiletries, food, and connecting students with counseling services in their home language. 
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Building & Facilities: The red-brick building is compact and comprises several floors. A banner displaying a multicolored wheel of emotions hangs outside the main office, encouraging students to articulate their feelings. Next to it is a bulletin board of clubs, including video game club, anime club, and backyard craft club. Students eat lunch in an open-air courtyard, where they also grow plants. The building is not ADA accessible–it has stairs at the entrance. 

College & Career: Students participate in paid work internships to help them explore their interests and prepare for careers after high school. College-bound students typically attend CUNY or SUNY schools. Like many transfer schools, only a small percentage graduate from high school with test scores high enough to enroll at CUNY without remedial help. Brooklyn Frontiers participates in FutureReadyNYC, which connects students with workforce training and career pathways in medical fields. (Dashiell Allen, school visit, July 2024)

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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
 
64%
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

150
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
89%
Students with disabilities
 
43%
Multilingual learners
 
5%
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?
 
91%
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?
 
20%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
100%
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?
 
100%
12.2
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
137
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?
 
89%
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

Not offered in 2021-21

AP/IB Math or Science

 
63%

Music

 
17%
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?
 
8%
From the 2020-21 and 2022-23 School Quality Guide
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

Brooklyn Frontiers High School (L69A)

Admissions Method: Transfer

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Advanced Courses

AP Computer Science Principles, Comp Sci/Math Tech (Advanced Placement), ELA (College Course [Credited]), Other (College Course [Credited])

Boys PSAL teams

Basketball

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

112 Schermerhorn Street
Brooklyn NY 11201

Trains: 2 Line, 3 Line, 4 Line, 5 Line, R Line to Borough Hall; A Line, C Line, F Line to Jay St - Borough Hall; B Line, Q Line to DeKalb Av; G Line to Hoyt & Schermerhorn

Buses: B103, B25, B26, B38, B41, B45, B52, B54, B57, B61, B62, B63, B65, B67


Contact

Principal: Alona Cohen

Parent Coordinator: Frances Martinez

Phone: 718-722-4727

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? No

This school is in its own building.

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? Yes

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