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Our Insights

What’s Special

Very advanced math and science courses; on-site Holocaust museum

The Downside

Long commute and fast-paced curriculum might not be for everyone

The Bronx High School of Science, one of the most famous schools in the country, has a proud history of training not only scientists but also authors, business executives and academic leaders. Its graduates have won eight Nobel Prizes and six Pulitzer Prizes. With a typical class size of around 33 students and a demanding curriculum, Bronx Science is a fast-paced and intense school. Many students have long commutes and take on multiple extracurricular activities on top of their heavy academic load. A lot of students exhaust the extensive Advanced Placement curriculum, so Bronx Science offers several “post-AP” classes like genetics, multivariable calculus and organic chemistry. Other electives include app development, game programming, and a class that prepares students to work in an on-campus Holocaust museum.

In 9th grade, all Bronx Science students take an English course that investigates the notion of identity, and a research literacy course where they design testable experiments and defend their arguments in writing and discussions. Students can participate in a three-year research track that culminates in an independent research project. Some students work with Bronx Science faculty members, while others work with outside experts from the field. Those students who work in labs or field settings throughout the summer often enter their projects into national competitions, where several have won prestigious awards.

Enrollment has ballooned to almost 3,000 students, an increase of nearly 600 students since 2006, and well over the 2,300 the building was designed to accommodate. Students we talked to, however, said there were ways to create smaller communities within the school by joining clubs and teams.

One benefit of Bronx Science's large size is that it offers a wide array of courses. Students may choose from six foreign languages, including Latin, and may take electives such as Spanish narrative and film. Students may take band, orchestra or other music classes as part of their schedule as well. There are dozens of clubs and after-school activities, including one of the top debate teams in the country. To draw more female students into the robotics club, the school established an all-girls team called the Iron Maidens.

While its size may be intimidating, the school offers special seminar-style after-school classes called “small group instruction,” or SGI, to give students a chance to review material and get to know their teachers. Struggling students are mandated to attend these SGI periods, but many others choose to go just to get additional help and foster personal relationships with faculty. The student-led National Honor Society has also organized a peer-to-peer tutoring system. Also meaningful is the “Big Siblings” program, where every freshman advisory is paired with upperclassmen to support the transition to high school.

Jean Donahue became principal in 2013. She said that in the years since she took over, the curriculum has shifted toward more applied learning activities to hook students into the abstract concepts they are studying. In every science class we saw on our visit, students were engaged in hands-on activities, working in groups to solve real-world challenges such as building prototypes for a collapsible wall to shield combat troops. Math, English and social studies classes, too, had built-in time for working in pairs or teams, though at the time of our visit, discussions in most classes were still largely teacher-driven.

Enabling this “change in culture” means more time built into the daily schedule for teachers of the same subject to plan lessons together, Donahue said. As an alumna of the school, parent of a recent graduate, and former teacher at Bronx Science, she knows the school well. She has a PhD and a background in cancer research, which she put to use as the head of Bronx Science’s three-year research program prior to becoming principal.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: The building is wheelchair accessible. Just about 1 percent of students receive Special Education Teacher Support Services (SETSS), and approximately 3 percent of students have IEPs or 504 plans.

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS: The guidance office has grown in recent years, now up to 12 counselors, some of whom double as college advisors. Additionally, there are two staff members who serve only as college advisors. The college office hosts admissions officers on campus and brings Bronx Science alumni in to conduct practice interviews with seniors. Students attend a range of top-tier private colleges—Yale, Tufts, Wesleyan and Barnard, to name a few—as well as CUNY and SUNY schools.

 (Nicole Mader, October 2014; updated by Isabel Corpus and Katharine Safter, June 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?
 
99%
Average daily attendance
 
96%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
11%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
57%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
71%
From the 2022-23 School Quality Guide and 2022-23 NYC School Survey

Students

2979
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
51%
Students with disabilities
 
2%
Multilingual learners
 
0%
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?
 
95%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
23%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
16%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
97%
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?
 
91%
3.0
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
249
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?
 
90%
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

 
25%

Computer Science

 
6%

Physics

 
31%

Advanced Foreign Language

 
21%

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
83%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
74%

Music

 
8%
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?
 
100%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
100%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
95%
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?
 
36%
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?
 
88%
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

The Bronx High School of Science (X89S)

Admissions Method: Test

Program Description:

Admission to this Specialized High School is based solely on the score obtained on the Specialized High Schools Admission Test (SHSAT). Students should speak to their school counselors in the Fall to register for the SHSAT.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

French, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Spanish

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

75 West 205 Street
Bronx NY 10468

Trains: 4 Line to Mosholu Parkway; B Line, D Line to Bedford Park Blvd

Buses: Bx1, Bx10, Bx16, Bx2, Bx22, Bx25, Bx26, Bx28, Bx3, Bx38, BxM3, BxM4


Contact

Principal: Marian Hoyle

Parent Coordinator: Cynthia Golan

Phone: 718-817-7700

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? No

This school is in its own building.

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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