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Our Insights

What’s Special

Nice array of classes and activities; lots of honors and college-level courses

The Downside

Graduation rate for students with special needs has a ways to go

The High School for Environmental Studies (HSES) delivers on its theme while offering students a well-rounded high school experience. It offers a nice array of classes and activities that cater to a broad range of interests such as sustainability, visual arts, theater, media, food science, hydroponics, and robotics.

All freshmen take a course examining environmental issues impacting New York City and surrounding communities. Tenth-graders take an ethics course, where they delve into issues from both outcome-based (what’s the best or most efficient) and duty-based (what’s the most moral) perspectives. In the upper grades students may choose from elective classes, creative writing, marine biology, astronomy, gender studies, theater, music theory, to name a few.

Though the highly selective Honors Academy only admits a small group of students, there are plenty of honors classes and college-level courses open to all who qualify. There are several Advanced Placement (AP) courses, including multiple sections of AP Environmental Science and AB Calculus. Students may earn college credit by taking courses taught by HSES teachers but developed by the University of Vermont and SUNY College of Environment Science.  

In many classes teachers incorporate hands-on work into lessons. For an example, in chemistry students perform a chips and salsa taste test to learn about acids, bases, and the Mesoamerican method for preparing corn called “nixtamalization.” Students in the History of New York City class, take a field trip to learn about the history of graffiti and then create their graffiti canvases, which are displayed in the school’s hallways.

Guidance counselors work with the same group of students for all four years, which helps the counselors get to know them better. Teachers serve as mentors to struggling students to ensure that they don’t get overlooked.

Foreign language instruction is offered in Spanish, Mandarin, and French. There is a nice range of electives, sports and extracurricular activities. Students may study theater, music or visual arts; they may take culinary and food studies classes, contribute to a student-run podcast. Gym electives include yoga, weight training and dance, the latter taught by an instructor from the nearby Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

In addition to a massive gymnasium, facilities include a large library, hydroponic and food labs, a dance studio, and a media production studio.

A full-time postsecondary counselor along with guidance counselors meet with 11th-graders multiple times during their scheduled English class to walk them through the college application and financial aid process. All 10th-graders take a college and career seminar to begin exploring their postgraduation options.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: The school offers small classes for students with special needs only and ICT (integrated co-teaching classes), which serve a mix of general education and students with special needs and are taught by two teachers, one trained in special education. There are also ICT honors classes (Laura Zingmond, interview and web reports, May 2024)

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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?
 
89%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
74%
How many English language learners graduate in 4 years?
 
84%
Average daily attendance
 
85%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
44%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
71%
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

1075
Number of students
Citywide Average is 615

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
71%
Students with disabilities
 
17%
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?
 
84%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
43%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
23%
How many teachers say they would recommend this school to other families?
 
89%
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%
2.2
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
220
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?
 
86%
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

 
15%

Computer Science

 
2%

Physics

 
15%

Advanced Foreign Language

 
11%

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
32%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
27%

Music

 
23%
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?
 
65%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
71%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
58%
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?
 
47%
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?
 
68%
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

Environmental Studies (M41C)

Admissions Method: Ed. Opt.

Program Description:

Interdisciplinary program emphasizing environmental studies: the natural environment, the urban environment, and environmental ethics. Students are expected to engage in research, environmental projects and internships, and complete a senior thesis.

Honors Academy (M41D)

Admissions Method: Screened

Program Description:

Mathematics and science research, work in university laboratories.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

French, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Environmental Science, AP Psychology, AP Statistics, AP United States Government and Politics, AP United States History, AP World History: Modern, Calculus (Advanced Math), Chemistry (Advanced Science), ELA (College Course [Credited]), Physics (Advanced Science), Social Studies (College Course [Credited]), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)

Boys PSAL teams

Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Cross Country, Handball, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Volleyball

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

444 West 56 Street
Manhattan NY 10019

Trains: 1 Line, A Line, B Line, C Line, D Line to 59th St-Columbus Circle; E Line to 50th St; N Line, Q Line, R Line to 57th St

Buses: BxM2, M10, M104, M11, M12, M20, M31, M5, M50, M57, M66, M7


Contact

Principal: Heather Deflorio

Parent Coordinator: Jeremy Feliciano

Phone: 212-262-8113

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares a building with Independence HS

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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