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Emma Lazarus High School for English Language Scholars

Grades: 9-12
Noteworthy

Our Insights

What’s Special

College prep classes for new immigrants

The Downside

Not all students graduate

The Emma Lazarus High School offers small classes and a challenging college-prep curriculum for older students who are new to this country and still learning English. Many of the students have had low levels of education in their home countries and face financial hardships as they adjust to life in the United States.

Not all students graduate, but more than half of those who do earn a demanding Advanced Regents diploma, a rate that’s well above the citywide average. Newsweek ranked Emma Lazarus one of the top schools in the country in terms of preparing at-risk students for college.

“Everyone is equal and supports each other here,” one student told a visitor as part of the Quality Review. “I feel comfortable speaking English in class, even if I say the wrong word.”

Classes are taught in English, but many of the staff speak other languages and have taught outside the United States. Many teachers are trained to teach English as a Second Language as well as history, science or math.

"We have 18 languages spoken here," Principal Melody Kellogg said, with Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish the most prevalent. Students with different native languages are grouped together in class to encourage them to speak English.

Members of the student government make sure that new students have someone to sit with at lunch, according to the Quality Review. Each student meets weekly with an adviser to discuss academic as well as social or emotional issues. Advisers call home each day a student is absent or late and comes up with strategies to improve attendance plans if needed. Overall, attendance is high.

Students take frequent class trips to improve their English and learn more about the city. The school has partnerships with New York City Mission Society's Learning to Work Program, Lincoln Center's LEAD program, the New York City Horticultural Society, and TADA! Youth Theater.

A downside: The school has an above-average drop-out rate—perhaps not surprising given the challenges the students face.

The transfer school shares a building with Pace High School and MS 131. (Clara Hemphill, web reports, April 2018)

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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
 
65%
How many English language learners graduate in 4 years?
 
64%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school offers enough activities and services for their children's needs?
 
0%
How many parents of students with disabilities say this school works to achieve the goals of their students' IEPs?
 
0%
From the 2021-22 School Quality Guide and 2020-21 NYC School Survey

Students

313
Number of students
Citywide Average is 599

Race/Ethnicity


School
Citywide
Low-income students
 
92%
Students with disabilities
 
1%
Multilingual learners
 
88%
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?
 
92%
How many students think bullying happens most or all of the time at this school?
 
12%
How many students say that some are bullied at their school because of their gender or sexual orientation?
 
9%
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?
 
57%
13.1
Years of principal experience at this school
Citywide Average is 7
154
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?
 
88%
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

Not offered in 2019-20

Computer Science

 
78%

Physics

Not offered in 2019-20

Advanced Foreign Language

Not offered in 2019-20

AP/IB Arts, English, History or Social Science

 
20%

AP/IB Math or Science

Not offered in 2019-20

Music

 
1%
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?
 
44%
From the 2020-21 and 2021-22 School Quality Guide
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

Emma Lazarus High School for English Language Scholars (A42A)

Admissions Method: Transfer

Offerings

From the 2024 High School Directory

Advanced Courses

Algebra II (Advanced Math), AP English Language and Composition, Comp Sci/Math Tech (College Course [Credited]), Other (College Course [Credited]), Social Studies (College Course [Credited]), World Languages (Advanced World Languages)

Boys PSAL teams

Basketball, Cross Country, Volleyball

Girls PSAL teams

Basketball, Cross Country, 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

100 Hester Street
Manhattan NY 10002

Trains: 6 Line, N Line, Q Line, R Line to Canal St; B Line, D Line to Grand St; F Line to East Broadway; J Line, Z Line to Bowery; M Line to Delancey St

Buses: B39, BxM18, M1, M103, M14A-SBS, M15, M15-SBS, M22, M55, M9


Contact

Principal: Michael Giovacchini

Parent Coordinator: Patricia Beato

Website

Other Details

Shared campus? Yes

This school shares a building with Pace HS and MS 131

Uniforms required? No
Metal detectors? No

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