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Manhattan Village Academy

Grades: 9-12
Staff Pick Staff Pick for Special Ed

Our Insights

What’s Special

Stellar college-prep curriculum

The Downside

Not all students can keep up with the workload

Manhattan Village Academy offers a demanding college-prep curriculum, imaginative projects and plenty of writing practice. It's an unusual blend of teaching philosophies: Like a traditional school, the kids wear uniforms, call teachers "Mr." and "Ms.," and study hard for Regents exams. Like at a progressive school, they do plenty of hands-on work. They may work in a group on a physics experiment measuring and graphing the speed at which they walk, or make a comic strip depicting events of the French Revolution.

The school strives to make sure students get the breadth that traditional schools offer and the depth of progressive schools. Students take nine Regents exams—four more than the state requires. In addition, they must complete five "portfolios," which may consist of hefty term papers, projects and oral presentations. Twelfth-graders are expected to write 10- to 15-page term papers on topics like global trade agreements. Everyone takes four years of science, including physics. Ninth- and 11th-graders take two hours of math a day, so by the end of four years everyone has had the equivalent of six years of high school math.

The workload is heavy, and not all students can manage it. In past years five or six students typically transfer to less demanding high schools after 9th grade. (The school accepts a similar number of incoming 10th-graders.) But for those who can do the work, the rewards are great. Graduates have been admitted to top private colleges, including Harvard, Yale, Brown, Columbia and Cornell.

The tone of the school is serious but not oppressive. Class changes are orderly. Students wear uniforms. Eleventh- and 12th-graders may leave the building for lunch, although many choose to eat in the pleasant cafeteria.

Students say they typically do three hours of homework a night, but teachers are available to help during the day and after school. “I am grateful to this school for giving me the opportunity to go to a good college,” said a senior, wearing her new Penn State sweatshirt.

Students who fail Regents exams will work with a teacher during lunchtime or after school. Teachers have incorporated SAT prep into all grades. The school offers 18 Advanced Placement classes. Teachers are expected to give extra time, including on weekends. Former principal Hector Geager said he lost about five teachers a year, either due to poor performance or because teachers are looking for more work-life balance. Christina White, a longtime assistant principal at NYC Lab High School, became principal of MVA in 2019.

It is a small school, with only 100 students in each grade. Manhattan Village seems to have a knack for taking kids who were only average or even below-average students in middle school and helping them succeed in high school. Students are held to strict attendance guidelines.

Most students come from Inwood, Washington Heights, the Upper West Side, Harlem and the Bronx. (Although Manhattan Village Academy is physically located in District 2, it does not give preference to District 2 students.)

The school has a full-time college counselor. About 90 percent of graduates enroll in college within six months of graduation.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: In addition to team-teaching classes, students with special needs often stay later for extra help. (Lydie Raschka, April 2018; update Aug. 2020)   

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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?
 
97%
How many students with disabilities graduate in 4 years?
 
80%
Average daily attendance
 
93%
How many students miss 18 or more days of school?
 
26%
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?
 
90%
From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide and 2020-21 NYC School Survey

Students

430
Number of students
Citywide Average is 599

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
67%
Students with disabilities
 
21%
Multilingual learners
 
3%
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?
 
94%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
25%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
15%
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey and 2019-20 NY State Report Card

Faculty & Staff

School
Citywide
How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?
 
64%
3.1
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
460
Number of students for each guidance counselor or social worker
Citywide Average is 157

Teachers’ Race/Ethnicity


How many teachers have 3 or more years of experience teaching?
 
87%
Are teachers effective?
From the 2020-21 NYC School Survey, 2021-22 School Quality Guide, 2019-20 Report on School-Based Staff Demographics, 2021 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

 
22%

Computer Science

Not offered in 2019-20

Physics

 
32%

Advanced Foreign Language

 
22%

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
56%

AP/IB Math or Science

 
40%

Music

 
27%
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?
 
97%
How many students take a college-level course or earn a professional certificate?
 
98%
How many students who have graduated from this high school stay in college for at least 3 semesters?
 
96%
From the 2020-21 and 2021-22 School Quality Guide
How many students filled out a FAFSA form by the end of their senior year?
 
94%
From the 2022-23 FAFSA data released by Federal Student Aid, brought you by
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

Manhattan Village Academy (M94A)

Admissions Method: Screened

Program Description:

Rigorous core curriculum based on the equivalent of five years of Math, four-five years of Science, five-six years of English, and five-six years of History. The curriculum consists of two strands: Regents-based and Portfolio/Performance-Based Assessments. All students are expected to choose and enroll in our extensive menu of 17 AP courses.

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Language Courses

Latin, Spanish

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP Biology, AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Macroeconomics, AP Psychology, AP Spanish Language and Culture, AP Statistics, AP United States History, AP World History: Modern, Calculus (Advanced Math), Chemistry (Advanced Science), Comp Sci/Math Tech (College Course [Credited]), Math (College Course [Uncredited]), Physics (Advanced Science), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)

Boys PSAL teams

Baseball, Basketball, Soccer

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Soccer, Softball

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

NYC Department of Education: MySchools

Contact & Location

Location

43 West 22 Street
Manhattan NY 10010

Trains: 1 Line to 18th St; 2 Line, 3 Line, L Line to 14th St; 4 Line, 5 Line, 6 Line, Q Line to Union Square; F Line, M Line to 23rd St; N Line, R Line to 28th St

Buses: BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4, BxM10, BxM11, BxM18, BxM3, BxM4, BxM6, BxM7, BxM8, BxM9, M1, M101, M102, M103, M14A-SBS, M14D-SBS, M2, M20, M23-SBS, M3, M5, M55, M7, Q32, QM21, SIM10, SIM11, SIM1C, SIM3, SIM31, SIM33, SIM33C, SIM3C, SIM4C, SIM6, SIM7, SIM9, X27, X28, X37, X38, X63, X64, X68


Contact

Principal: Christina White

Parent Coordinator: Emma Cambero-Gil

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? No

This school is in its own building.

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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